SIXTEEN 

5»mtartatt jWtsaumarg 

DISCOURSES. 



BY RICHARD WRIGHT, U. M. 



The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is 
the word of faith which we preach ; that if thou shalt confess with thy 
mouth the Lord Jesus 3 and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 



Printed by F. B. Wright, Swift's Court Castle Street. 

Sold by Eaton, 187, High Holborn, London; and may be 
had of the Booksellers in general. 

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Price to Subscribers 6s. — Non-subscribers 7s. 



PAUL. 




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1817. 



TO THE 

UNITARIAN PUBLIC, 

AND MORE PARTICULARLY 

TO THE FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS OF 

Wbt Unitarian J^unir ; 

THE UNITARIAN BOOK SOCIETIES, 

AND 

OTHER INSTITUTIONS 

For the Promotion of Primitive Christianity, 

BOTH IN 

AS AN EXPRESSION OF HIS ESTEEM AND GRATITUDE FOR 
THEIR LAUDABLE EXERTIONS IN THE BEST OF CAUSES; THE 
FOLLOWING DISCOURSES ARE, WITH MUCH DEFERENCE, 
INSCRIBED 

By their 

Servant in the Gospel, 



THE AUTHOR, 



PREFACE. 



The manner in which the " Discourses 
on Evangelical subjects, doctrinal and 
practical," have been received by the 
public, encourages the writer to hope 
the present volume may meet with a 
favorable reception. Having been re- 
peatedly solicited to publish another 
volume of Discourses, and many of those 
now presented to the public having beei^ 
preached in various places, and received 
with approbation, the author cherishes 
the hope that they will be acceptable to 
the generality of Unitarian Christians : 
and he hopes there is nothing in them 
that will be offensive to candid Chris- 
tians of any denomination, Such men, 
while they judge for themselves, will 
not be offended at others, who do the 
same, for differing from them, honestly 
professing what they believe to be the 



PREFACE. 

truth as it is in Jesus, and promoting it 
by all fair and honorable means. 

The title, " Unitarian Missionary 
Discourses," is the most appropriate the 
Author could think of; as the Discour- 
ses are selected from those he has 
preached as a Unitarian Missionary.— 
Though in composing in writing what 
had previously been delivered extem- 
pore, some variation in the language 
would be unavoidable, the ideas and 
sentiments are the same ; and in most of 
the Discourses in this volume, the au- 
thor believes the language to be very 
little, if at all, varied from what he had 
used in preaching them. 

In making the selection, it was thought 
best, to publish those Discourses he had 
preached the most frequently, and 
which he could form into a kind of se- 
ries. The one on " Reason the judge 
of what is right," would have been omit- 
ted, in consequence of its containing 
some passages similar to what are found 
in the Essay " On the use of Reason 



PREFACE. 



in matters of religion," bad not its pub- 
lication been particularly requested. 
The Reviewer of the " Discourses on 
Evangelical Subjects/' in the Monthly 
Repository, (vol. vi. p. 615.) having said, 
u should the public approbation encour- 
age the preacher to write and print 
more of his extempore addresses, we 
should be glad to see in what form and 
light he usually sets before his auditors 
the subjects of death and judgment, 
heaven and hell, which are the favorite 
topics of popular missionaries, and 
which have been so extravagantly and 
mischievously treated as to lead the 
sober, quiet part of our people to think 
that a missionary must necessarily be a 
melancholy fanatic;" the author has 
taken the hint, and included in this vo- 
lume Discourses on those most solemn 
and important subjects, on which he 
has often been called to preach as a 
missionary. 

In his composition, to be plain and 
convincing has been the author's aim : 



PREFACE. 



as a christian missionary, he considers 
the great object to be, to convince men 
of their errors and bring them to walk 
in the pure light of the gospel, to live 
under its influence, and enjoy its rich 
consolation. He has had to preach in 
obscure villages and in populous towns, 
to the most illiterate and to genteel and 
educated people; in such different 
situations, common sense must dictate 
the propriety of varying the language 
and manner in which the same senti- 
ments are expressed, the same dis- 
course is delivered. The following 
Discourses, however, are much in his 
usual style of preaching. They are 
submitted to the candid attention of his 
brethren and the public, and to the dis- 
posal of that great Being whom he 
wishes faithfully to serve, whose favor 
is better than life, and to whom he must 
ere long give an account of himself and 
his labors. 



Boston,) February hth, 1817. 



CONTENT; 



DISCOURSE L 

REASON THE JUDGE OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 

Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not 
what is right ] Luke xii, 57 • . 13 

DISCOURSE IT. 

THE COMPREHENSIVENESS AND PRACTI- 
CAL IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 
OF THE DIVINE UNITY. 

God is one. Galatians iii, 20 36 

DISCOURSE III. 

THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 

Why callest thou me good 1 there is none good 
but one, that is God. Matt, xix, J7» .. 59 



CONTENTS. 



DISCOURSE IV. 

EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, AND MADE 
SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 

What ! shall we receive Good at the hand of God, 
and shall we not receive Evil] Job ii. 10. . 81 

DISCOURSE V. 

JESUS MADE BOTH LORD AND CHRIST. 

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assur* 
edly, that God hath made that same Jesus 
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 
Jets ii, 36 103 

DISCOURSE VI. 

JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHER 
PROPHETS. 

But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of 
man is this, that even the winds and the sea 
obey him ? Matt, viii, 27 . . . 123 

DISCOURSE VII. 

THE PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN 
ALL THINGS. 

That in all things he might have the pre-eminence, 
Colossians i, 18 . 144 



4 



CONTENTS. 

DISCOURSE VIII. 



(CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

Other foundation can no man la^ than that is laid, 
which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinth, iii, 11. . 164 

DISCOURSE IX. 

LOVE TO CHRIST. 
Lovest thou me more than these 1 John xxi, 15 185 

DISCOURSE X. 

ON THE GRACE OF GOD, AND RECEIVING 
IT IN VAIN. 

We then as workers together with him, beseech 
you also, that ye receive not the grace of God 
in vain. 2 Corinth, vi, 1 208 

DISCOURSE XL 

ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT 
OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. 

This is the record, that God hath given to us 
eternal life : and this life is in his Son. 
1 John v, 11 235 

DISCOURSE XII. 

ON DEATH. 

This night thy soul shall be required of thee. 
Luke xii, 20 252 



CONTENTS. 

DISCOURSE XIII. 

THE CAUSES AND CURE OF THE FEAR OF 
DEATH. 

And deliver them who through fear of death 
were all their life-time subject to bondage, 
Heb. ii,15 272 

DISCOURSE XIV. 

ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 

We must all appear before the judgment seat of 
Christ; that every one may receive the things 
done in his body, according to that he hath 
done, whether itbe good or bad. 2 Cor. v, 10. 292 

DISCOURSE XV. 

HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE OF THE 
WICKED, 

And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in tor- 
ments. Lukex\\, 23 314 

DISCOURSE XVI. 

HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE OF THE 
RIGHTEOUS. 

For we know that if our earthly house of this 
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building 
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal 
in the heavens. 2 Corinth, v, 1. ...... . 335 



DISCOURSE I. 



REASON THE JUDGE OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 

0*0+0 

LUKE XII. 57. 

Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not 
what is right ? 

These words of our Savior take for 
granted that men have a right to judge 
for themselves, that they are capable of 
judging what is right, and that it is 
their duty to do it. So far from re- 
straining his hearers in the full and 
free exercise of their reason, even upon 
his own pretensions, doctrine^and works, 
he demanded why they neglected it. Yea, 
and why even of yourselves judg e ye not 
what is right? It is impossible they 
should thus judge, without using their 
reason; or come to any just decision, 

B 



14 REASON THE JUDGE 



unless reason be the judge of what is 
right. 

We are required to judge for our- 
selves what is right in doctrine, what is 
truth ; and truth consists in the agree- 
ment of our ideas with the reality of 
things ; but this agreement can be dis- 
covered only by the exercise of our 
reason on all subjects. 

We are also required to judge for 
ourselves what is right in practice; and 
we are practically right only so far 
as our temper and conduct are in con- 
formity with the will of God; but we 
cannot judge for ourselves what is right 
in practice, any further than we discover 
by the use of our reason what the will 
of God is. If we neglect to use our 
reason, we can have no judgment of our 
own ; but are in danger of calling evil 
good, and good evil; of putting dark- 
ness for light, and light for darkness: 
and asrainst those who do this a woe is 
pronounced, Jm. v. 20. 

It is not our present inquiry whether 
reason belongs to man exclusively, or 
whether it be possessed, though in a 
lower degree, by the inferior creatures, 
who seem capable of associating ideas, 
and making inferences from them ; suf- 
fice it to say, that man only appears to 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 15 



possess that high degree of reason 
which renders him capable of religion 
and morality. This raises him in the 
scale of being, gives him a glorious 
pre-eminence in this lower world, and 
fits him to be lord of all the other 
classes of beings made to dwell upon 
the earth. 

Reason is to be numbered among the 
most valuable of the divine gifts; it is 
a distinguishing favor bestowed upon 
man: consequently we ought highly 
to prize, and diligently to improve it. 
So far as we lay aside the use of rea- 
son, we degrade ourselves to a level 
w 7 ith the brutes, and ungrateful iy and 
basely throw away one of the best 
gifts of heaven ; at least, like the slothful 
servant, we hide our talent, and let it 
remain unoccupied. God hath given 
us all our senses to be employed to his 
glory, for our own benefit, and the good 
of others ; nor can any one of them be 
disused without great inconvenience ; 
the loss of any one of them is deplored 
as a calamity; but reason is a more 
excellent gift than any one of the senses; 
for they are all its ministering servants ; 
and surely a gift so superior cannot be 
bestowed to be unemployed, nor can 
its use be neglected without imminent 



16 



REASON THE JUDGE 



danger. The senses we have in com- 
mon with the brutes, bat reason quali- 
fies us to participate in what is godlike, 
Shall it be said that reason is to be used 
in the meaner concerns of life, and to 
be laid aside in the most momentous, 
in the important affairs of religion? 
The supposition is manifestly absurd. 
The noblest powers ought above all to 
be employed in the most important 
matters, those which relate to God and 
a future life. 

If it be objected, that reason is car- 
nal, and consequently no judge in spi- 
ritual matters; it is replied: that rea- 
son is no where in scripture called 
carnal ; and God hath appealed to the 
reason of his creatures respecting the 
equity of his dispensations and ways ; 
in fact, the Prophets, Jesus and his 
Apostles, continually appealed to the 
reason of those whom they addressed ; 
but this was appealing to reason in re- 
ligious and spiritual matters. Besides, 
the phrase carnal reason is self-contra- 
dictory: for what is carnal is of an animal 
nature; but reason is not a mere ani- 
mal principle; it is neither an appetite, 
nor a passion, but the rational faculty 
in man. To call reason carnal, is ma- 
nifestly absurd ; for if reason be carnal, 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



17 



what in man is spiritual? What does 
he possess superior to his reason ? 
Those who call the reason of others 
carnal, think themselves spiritual, for- 
getting that their own reason is as much 
human, consequently as much carnal, 
as that of those who differ from them. 
They only call that reasoning carnal, 
which they cannot answer. 

As God hath made men rational crea- 
tures, he hath ever treated them as 
such. The whole of his moral govern- 
ment, and all his dispensations, are 
adapted to beings who are capable of 
reasoning, of being influenced by mo- 
tives, and instructed by experience; nor 
is it conceivable how, under the divine 
government, mankind can be intellect- 
ually and morally improved, any fur- 
ther than they use their reason. God 
hath never required that men should 
believe what is contrary to reason, or 
do any thing that is unreasonable. 
What we perceive to be contrary to 
reason, reason compels us to reject, as 
it must appear to us erroneous and 
false ; for we have no faculty but our 
reason by which we are capable of 
judging. What is unreasonable in our 
conduct, reason must necessarily con- 
demn ; because it is contrary to its die- 
b 2 



18 REASON THE JUDGE 

tates. It is impossible God should re- 
quire us to act inconsistently with the 
rational nature he hath given us, the 
light of reason be hath infused. He 
hath not made it our duty to believe 
what is above reason, what is above 
reason is beyond the reach of our 
powers ; it can no more be an object 
of our faith, than those things which 
are too remote for the eye to perceive, 
even by artificial aids, can be objects of 
sight. What is above our reason we 
can have no conception of ; for so far 
as we have conception of any thing, it 
is within the reach of our reason; and 
it is impossible that should be an arti- 
cle of our faith, of which we have no 
conception. We may blindly assent to 
w r e know not what ; but surely this is 
not believing. Nor hath God ever re- 
quired men to believe without sufficient 
evidence; he hatk placed his truth on a 
level with their reason, and accompa- 
nied it with proofs sufficient to produce 
rational conviction. 

Still we shall be told, that the scrip- 
tures contain doctrines which are above 
reason. To this it is replied, that what 
is above reason can be no part of divine 
revelation ; for the word revelation is 
only applicable to things which are 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. l§ 

made known; consequently, which are 
brought down to a level with our rea- 
son, and may be comprehended ; for 
what is not brought on a level with our 
rational powers, is no revelation to us. 
Did the gospel really contain doctrines 
above reason, it would, so far, cease to 
be a divine revelation, and with such 
incomprehensible mysteries we should 
have nothing to do; for secret things 
belong unto the Lord, and what is 
above our reason must necessarily be 
secret to us ; but revealed things be- 
long to us and our children. We may 
safely conclude, that the gospel, as it 
was preached to the poor, as it is a re- 
velation to babes in knowledge, con- 
tains no mysterious and incomprehensi- 
ble doctrines. Still it will be argued, 
we must believe doctrines which we 
cannot understand. To this it is re- 
plied, the thing is impossible; we may 
assent to what we do not understand, 
we may say we believe it, but we can- 
not really believe w hat we do not un- 
derstand, for we cannot know what it 
is ; if W'e say we believe what we do 
not understand, we in fact say w 7 e be- 
lieve we know not what: and how in 
that case, are we either to explain or 
give a reason, for what we say we be- 



20 



REASON THE JUDGE 



lieve ? If a man say, he believes there 
is a God, but understands not how 
God exists ; that he believes the dead 
will be raised, but understands not how 
they will be raised ; it will be easy to 
reply, that he does not believe how 
God exists, nor how the dead will be 
raised, that his faith is limited to the 
part of each subject which he under- 
stands ; for he understands that God 
exists, and that the dead will be raised; 
and his belief extends not to the part of 
either subject of which he remains to- 
tally ignorant. 

Reason and revelation are both gifts 
of the same God; consequently they 
cannot clash with each other. It is 
impossible that revelation should con- 
tain any doctrines that are contrary to 
reason, or that, when understood, rea- 
son will not approve. They both flow 
from the same eternal fountain of light, 
and are communicated to lead man to 
intellectual and moral perfection and 
happiness ; consequently they must be 
in perfect accordance. 

Those who decry reason that they 
may exalt revelation, and would build 
faith on its ruins, whatever may be their 
intentions, do great injury to Christianity. 
So far as they succeed in leading others 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



21 



to suppose that revelation is inconsis- 
tent with reason, that the gospel contains 
irrational doctrines, they strengthen the 
hands of its opposers, and render its 
truth and authority questionable; as 
every one must know that reason is the 
gift of God, and it is very difficult, if 
not impossible, to believe that what is 
contrary to it can come from him. To 
build faith upon the ruins of reason, is 
substituting religious frenzy in the place 
of real Christianity, and opening the 
door for every extravagance, absurdity, 
and corruption of the gospel to enter. 

If man had not reason, he could have 
no religion ; and no one can be truly 
religious any further than he uses his 
reason on religious subjects. Why are 
theiuferior creatures incapable of re- 
ligion, but because they have not the 
reason of man to enable them to un- 
derstand and practice it? Why are not 
infants, idiots, and maniacs, capable of 
religion, but because the former hath 
not attained, and the latter is unhappily 
deprived of, the use of reason ? Those 
who lay aside the use of reason in re- 
ligious matters, level themselves, so far 
as religion is concerned, with infants, 
idiots, and maniacs ; but as they do it 
voluntarily, in them it is criminak Uti- 



22 



REASON THE JUDGE 



less we use our reason, the visible cre- 
ation will not lead us to discover the 
Eternal Power and Godhead, nor to 
perceive that the heavens declare the 
glory of God, and that the earth is full 
of his riches. Natural religion results 
from the exercise of our reason on the 
works of God. To lay aside the ex- 
ercise of reason in matters of religion, 
is a step towards Atheism ; for by what 
other faculty can the marks of design, 
legible throughout the creation, by 
which the existence of God is fully 
proved, be clearly discerned ? It is evi- 
dent we cannot set the first step, nor at- 
tain the first principle, in religion, with- 
out using our reason. 

It is only by the exercise of reason 
we can acquire a knowledge of moral 
obligation, and the various duties of 
life. As our moral consciousness is 
always according to the judgment we 
form of things ; unless, by the use of 
our reason, we endeavour to attain a 
right judgment of our various obliga- 
tions and duties, there will be a dan- 
ger of our heart and conscience being 
defiled, of our neglecting the duties of 
life, and becoming vicious and depraved 
through ignorance, and the errors which 
the free exercise of reason w r ould dis- 
cover and correct. 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT, 



23 



If men had not reason, thev could 
not receive a divine revelation ; because 
they could neither judge of its evidences, 
nor understand its contents. The gos- 
pel is not sent to beasts, birds, fishes, 
and insects, nor is it adapted to them ; 
and why is it not? evidently, because 
they have not a sufficient degree of rea- 
son to understand it : but if reason be 
not to be used in matters of religion, 
man is, so far as relates to divine reve- 
lation, in a state similar to those crea- 
tures : for reason makes no difference, 
if its exercise is to be laid aside when 
we attend to the scriptures. To be 
without reason, and not to use it, places 
us in the same state, with this difference, 
that for not using it we are criminal. — 
It is only by the exercise of reason that 
we can ascertain that the scriptures 
contain a divine revelation; that w ; e can 
weigh their evidences, and be convinced 
of their truth. 

Some waiters have contended, that 
though we must use our reason in judg- 
ing of the evidences and truth of divine 
revelation, when satisfied of its truth 
reason has nothing more to do ; but 
how are we to understand the meaning 
of the revelation, even when its general 
truth is ascertained, any further than we 



24 



REASON THE JUDGE 



use oar reason freely in examining its 
contents and judging of its import p The 
exercise of reason is as necessary in 
judging what is the meaning of divine 
revelation, as in weighing its evidences: 
indeed its internal evidences cannot be 
properly weighed, without a severe scru- 
tiny of its contents. When we consider 
what the scriptures have suffered, in 
common with other ancient writings, 
from the carelessness, or unavoidable 
mistakes of transcribers, the numerous 
various readings, the different render- 
ings of the same passage; and that what 
is properly divine revelation is inter- 
mingled with the Jewish history and 
other extraneous matter ; to say nothing 
of obsolete customs, manners, and forms 
of expression, to be met with in the bi- 
ble ; we must be convinced that there 
is, not only abundant room, but an ab- 
solute necessity, for the free exercise of 
reason in attending to the scriptures, iu 
order to our ascertaining their true 
meaning, and our learning what God 
hath revealed and commanded. 

When we have ascertained the mean- 
ing of scripture, reason is necessary 
to enable us to apply it to useful pur- 
poses. Not only those who lived in 
the times of the Prophets, those also 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 25 

who were contemporary with the Apos- 
tles, were in very different circum- 
stances from what we are. The preju- 
dices they had to encounter, the diffi- 
culties they had to surmount, and the 
times in which they lived, were mate- 
rially different from those in which we 
find ourselves. The admonitions, in- 
structions, and directions which the 
Apostles gave in their writings, were 
suited to their own times, and the cir- 
cumstances of the christians in that 
age. The exercise of reason is neces- 
sary to enable us to judge how to apply 
their words in clearly different cases; 
and indeed to apply ail that is useful in 
the scriptures, to practical purposes in 
the present age. 

As faith is built upon evidence, and 
that evidence is moral, it is impossible 
the evidence should be understood and 
its force felt, so as for rational convic- 
tion to be produced, without the exer- 
cise of reason : consequently there can 
be no real faith, whatever blind assent 
there may be, without the use of reason 
in religious matters. We may, without 
the use of reason, become the disciples 
of men ; we may believe implicitly ; 
but we cannot be the genuine disciples 
of Christ, we cannot have that faith 



26 



REASON THE JUl)GE 



which is of the operation of God, 
which stands not in the wisdom of men 
but in the power of God; unless we 
think freely for ourselves, and exercise 
our reason on all subjects in religion, 

Among the contradictory interpreta- 
tions of passages of scripture, the clash- 
ing systems, and multifarious opinions, 
which men build upon the sacred wri- 
tings, you will not know what to be- 
lieve, nor what to practise ; but be tilled 
with darkness and perplexity, unless 
you use your reason in searching the 
scriptures and judging for yourselves : 
either you will be tossed about with 
every wind of doctrine, or become the 
bigoied devotees of a party; but if you 
exercise your reason, in a sober and 
steady manner, on the divine testimony, 
(which in all its leading doctrines and 
precepts is plain to the simple hearted,) 
you will be relieved from painful uncer- 
tainty respecting both truth and duty, 
your faith will be increased, your hope 
confirmed ; and as you obey the truth, 
and your love abounds more and more, 
your joy in the Lord will be great. 

In the scriptures we are taught, both 
by precept and example, to exercise 
our reason in all matters of religion. 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



27 



The Prophet Samuel said to the people 
of Israel, "stand still, that I may rea- 
son with you before the Lord, of all 
the righteous acts of the Lord." Je- 
hovah called upon the people to use 
their reason. u Come now," said he, 
" and let us reason together." Again, 
" O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men 
of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt 
me and my vineyard. 5 ' And again, 
" O house of Israel, are not my ways 
equal?" Jehovah would not call upon his 
creatures to use their reason, appeal to 
that reason respecting the equity of his 
ways, and intreat them to judge of his 
conduct, which they could not do 
without exercising their reason, if he 
did not approve of their exercising 
reason in matters of religion. The 
Apostles of Jesus made use of reason 
in publishing the gospel. We are told, 
" Paul, as his manner was, went in unto 
them (the Jewish assembly) and three 
sabbaths reasoned with them out of 
the scriptures." " And he reasoned in 
the synagogues every sabbath." Before 
Felix " he reasoned of righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to come." 
Had the use of reason in matters of re- 
ligion been improper, Paul would not 
have allowed himself in the constant 



28 



REASON THE JUDGE 



practice of it when dispensing divine 
truth. The Apostles also called upon 
their fellow christians to use their rea- 
son, Paul said, " 1 speak as to wise 
men; judge ye what I say." "Prove 
all things." Peter says, " Be ready 
always to give an answer to every man 
that asketh you a reason of the hope 
that is in you." Let us be determined, 
in conformity to the advice and example 
of the Apostles, to exercise our reason 
freely in matters of religion, let who 
trill, after the example of the mother 
of harlots, who is branded in the fore- 
head, in the prophetic page, with the 
epithet mystery, renounce the use of 
reason for unintelligible dogmas. Our 
Lord himself in our text, teaches the 
sufficiency of reason to judge of what 
God reveals, " Yea and why even of 
yourselves judge ye not what is right ?" 
That the gospel requires nothing but 
what is reasonable, Paul taught, when 
he said, " Present your bodies a living 
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which 
is your reasonable service." The Apos- 
tle apprehended no danger from men 
who would use their reason; it was 
from unreasonable men he wished to be 
delivered. 

There seems to be a universal con- 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



29 



sciousnes that reason must be exercised 
in order to men's becoming religious : 
the exceptions are found only where 
the conscience is perverted by error and 
superstition. Hence it is common, 
everywhere, when persons wish to bring 
others to pay a proper regard to God 
and morality, for them to urge the ne- 
cessity of their seriously reflecting and 
thinking within themselves; but to re- 
flect and think, implies the exercise of 
reason : and those who w ould bring 
others to proper thought and reflection, 
always feel it necessary to reason wkh 
them. 

It may be asked how far the exer- 
cise of reason is to be extended in mat- 
ters of religion. It is answered, to 
every subject which relates either to 
faith or practice. No subject ought to 
be thought too sacred to be brought to 
the test of reason. Truth does not 
shun the light, and least of all divine 
truth. It can suffer no loss, but will 
derive advantage from the severest scru- 
tiny. It is error that skulks into cor- 
ners, robes itself in mystery, shrinks 
from the touch of reason, and is revered 
only because it is not brought to the 
ordeal. When the friends of truth 



30 



REASON THE JUDGE 



would withhold any part of it from 
the scrutiny of reason, they injure the 
cause they espouse, and dishonor truth 
by their unnecessary fears. Either 
reason is to be used in judging of every 
doctrine and practice in religion, or it 
cannot be proved lawful to use it on any 
religious subject. How can it be proved 
that transubstantiation ought to be 
brought to the test of reason, and not 
the doctrine of the trinity, or any other 
doctrine ? Whatever assumes to be a 
doctrine of revelation, ought to be sub- 
jected to the scrutiny of reason. Let 
those who cry out against reason lay it 
totally aside, and then see how they will 
be able to proceed. They will find them- 
selves incapable of arguing in defence 
of any religious doctrine or practice ; 
for, to bring arguments from the scrip- 
tures, or elsewhere, is to reason. If the 
use of reason in matters of religion 
w r ere laid aside, nothing would remain 
but dogmatism, implicit faith, and 
blind superstition, 

The laying aside of the use of reason 
in matters of religion, has been pro- 
ductive of great and manifold evils. 
This made way for the greatest corrup- 
tions of Christianity, the gross super- 
stition and abominations of popery, and 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



31 



gradually gave birth to the most absurd 
of all maxims, " That ignorance is the 
mother of devotion. 5 ' Had not the ex- 
ercise of reason been laid aside, chris- 
tians could never have been induced to 
receive as articles of faith, what they 
were incapable of understanding; nor 
to have substituted inexplicable mys- 
teries and senseless forms, in the place 
of the simple doctrines and precepts of 
Jesus Christ : nor could priestcraft, and 
ecclesiastical tyranny ever have tram- 
pled all the rights and liberties of man- 
kind under their feet, and enslaved and 
plundered the world. Had not the ex- 
ercise of reason in matters of religion 
been revived, the corruptions of Chris- 
tianity could not have been detected 
and exploded, nor the reformation of 
religion ever have commenced. It was 
for using their reason in opposition to 
the dogmas and irrational notions of 
popish priests, the protestant martyrs 
suffered. The popish doctors, when 
they contended for transubstantiation, 
had the words of scripture on their side. 
If they might be allowed to apply them 
without regard to reason, they were 
sure to carry their point; but the pro- 
testants asserted that their application 
of them was contrary to reason, and 



32 



REASON THE JUDGE 



they perished gloriously in the flames, 
rather than give up the exercise of their 
reason in religion. 

Let us follow the example of so many 
sufferers in the cause of truth and vir- 
tue, and never desist from the free ex- 
ercise of reason on every religious sub- 
ject. It is only by doing this we can 
hope to carry forward the w r ork of re- 
formation, until error and superstition 
be banished from the earth, and the 
pure gospel every where prevail. 

Those who declaim the most against 
reason, always use it as an auxiliary 
when it suits their purpose; which 
proves that they are against reason only 
when they feel that reason is against 
them. The catholics are consistent 
with themselves ; for they discard rea- 
son from every part of their religious 
system. Those protestants are incon- 
sistent with themselves, who use reason 
so far as it suits their purpose, and lay 
it aside rather than give up their unrea- 
sonable notions : they first use it, and 
then treat it as an enemy, crying out 
against it as carnal. Those only are 
consistent with themselves and with 
truth, who use reason as the sole judge 
both of the truth and sense of scrip- 
ture, and of what is right upon every 
subject 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



33 



It has sometimes happened that men 
have been so unreasonable as to reason 
against the exercise of reason in matters 
of religon ; but such persons most evi- 
dently confute themselves; for they jus- 
tify by their practice what they con- 
demn ; as themselves exercise reason, 
however improperly, at the time they 
talk against it, and attempt to make 
reason destroy itself. It is in the nature 
of things impossible that any good rea- 
son should be advanced against the use 
of reason, every attempt of the kind is 
mere sophistry. 

Who have been the persons, in all 
ages, that have opposed the use of rea- 
son in religion ? They have been either 
mercenary priests and designing men, 
who have had some worldly end in view, 
and felt it their interest to keep the peo- 
ple in ignorance and mental bondage; 
or persons who were themselves en- 
slaved by a particular creed or system, 
and determined to maintain notions 
which would not bear the test of rea- 
son. 

You must either use your own reason 
in religious matters, or trust to that of 
other men, w ho are equally fallible; and 
surely it is better to use your own un- 
derstanding, and judge for yourselves 



34 



REASON THE JUDGE 



what is right, than to take things upon 
trust, and leave others to judge for you ; 
especially when you remember you are 
accountable to God for the use you 
make of the reason he hath given you. 

You would suspect that the person 
meant to deceive you, who would per- 
suade you to shut your eyes that you 
miuht see the objects he placed before 
you. Reason is the eye of the mind, 
and you have cause to fear some im- 
position when persons would persuade 
you to lay aside the use of your reason 
that you may understand the doctrines 
they teach. 

When we contend for the free exer- 
cise of reason on all religious subjects ? 
many persons either cannot or will not 
understand us. They cry out against 
us as persons who exalt human nature 
and depreciate the scriptures. But let 
us not be frightened by noise and de- 
clamation, What! can we not be hum- 
ble, without undervaluing and despising 
that noble gift by which the Almighty 
hath made us more excellent than the 
beasts of the field ? Must one of the di- 
vine gifts, either reason or revelation, 
be depreciated, that the other may be 
exalted ? By no means ; they are both 



OF WHAT IS RIGHT. 



35 



of inestimable value, and are in perfect 
harmony with each other. 

The consistent christian will regard 
reason and revelation as equally the 
offspring of eternal wisdom, given to 
man to guide him to virtue and happi- 
ness here, and to eternal life and glory 
hereafter. He will be thankful to God 
for reason, without which he could not 
discover truth ; and for revelation, 
without which reason could not be 
perfected. 



DISCOURSE II. 



THE COMPREHENSIVENESS AND PRACTI- 
CAL IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 
OF THE DIVINE UNITY. 

— o+ofo 

GALATIANS iii. 20. 

God is One. 

Those Doctrines which are the most 
important and efficacious, are the most 
plain and simple. Obscurity and mys- 
tery are not essential to the sublime in 
religion. The shallowness and inefficacy 
of popular notions are concealed by 
the darknesss which envelopes them, 
and the superstitious awe with which 
men are taught to view them. In the 
truths of divine revelation, which are 
on a level with common sense, there is 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 

a profoundness and a sovereign efficacy. 
The doctrine of the Unity of God is not 
a dry speculation; it is at the founda- 
tion, and virtually comprehends the 
whole of divine truth. It has the 
greatest vitality, comes home to the bo- 
soms of men, involves all their best in- 
terests, and is calculated to produce the 
happiest effects on their hearts and lives. 
Our views of this subject will have a 
bearing upon our views of most other 
subjects, and influence our reasonings 
respecting them. In particular, our 
views of the Divine Unity are connected 
with the most solemn exercises in which 
we can engage, the worship and service 
of Almighty God ; and with our thoughts 
and feelings respecting his government 
and providence. 

The Unity of God is so perfectly 
agreeable to reason and the light of na- 
ture, and so clearly and fully expressed 
in the sacred scriptures, as to compel 
the assent of all christians. All deno- 
minations of professors of the gospel 
acknowledge there is, and can be, but 
One living and true God. Even those 
who maintain the doctrine of the trinity, 
in whatever form thev maintain it, whe- 
ther as a trinity of persons, of minds, 
of names, or of " somewhats," though 

D 



38 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 

they assert God is three, or that three 
individuals are each of them truly and 
properly God, after all, are constrained 
to admit, notwithstanding the admission 
involves their system in self-contradic- 
tion, that there is but One God, and 
that God is One. This shows that the 
Divine Unity is a doctrine too plainly 
taught in the scriptures, for any person 
who believes them, in a direct and ex- 
plicit manner to deny it. The Unitarian 
stands on high ground ; as those who 
differ from him are constrained to admit, 
as incontrovertible, the leading article 
of his faith, the great principle on which 
his reasonings are built, and his views 
established. 

This great principle, that God is One, 
being conceded to us by all our fellow 
christians, it is right to bring every other 
sentiment to the test of it ; nor ought 
any opinion to be admitted as true that 
clashes with it. My object in this dis- 
course is to show, 

First, Under what views God is One, 
ivhat the doctrine of his Unity com- 
prehends. 

Secondly, The practical use and ten- 
dency of this doctrine. 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



39 



First, I shall attempt to shoiv under ivhat 
views God is One ; and that the doc- 
trine of the Divine Unity virtually 
comprehends the whole of divine truth. 

All the works of God lead to the idea 
of one first cause, one self-existent 
Being, one eternal mind, one unseen 
power ; by whom all things w ere made, 
and are upheld and governed. The 
most natural and rational view we can 
form of this great Being is t that he is 
one individual agent, person, or sub- 
sistence. The conclusion to which the 
works of God lead, the scriptures 
teach us in plain language. 

1. The expression God is One, teaches 
that he is one single Being, one individual 
person ; and excludes the idea of a plu- 
rality in God. 

The word God is not the name of a 
nature, or essence, in which any number 
of individual persons, or intelligent 
agents, may exist, and each of them 
possess that whole nature, that entire 
essence. In the human nature, or es- 
sence, millions of distinct persons exist, 
and the human nature exists whole and 
entire in each person, ; yet no one will 
say, that, on this account, all the human 



40 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 

persons that ever existed are but one 
being ; that, notwithstanding this divi- 
sion info persons, there is but one man; 
the absurdity of this is too glaring not 
to be perceived : but if being one in 
nature, or the complete possession of 
the same nature, constitutes identity of 
being among divine persons, why not 
among human persons ? Is it not as ab- 
surd to say a plurality of divine persons, 
each of whom is truly and properly 
God, because they are one in nature, 
are but one God ; as it would be to say 
a plurality of human persons, each of 
whom is truly and properly man ; be- 
cause they are all one in nature, are 
but one man ? The word God is not 
used collectively, to express a race, or 
community, of divine beings; as the 
word man is sometimes used to express 
the whole human race. The word God 
is the name of a real being, who is dis- 
tinct from all other beings, who cannot 
be likened to any other being ; and in 
its proper sense it belongs but to one 
being in the universe. 

The language used in scripture to ex- 
press the Unity of God, fully conveys 
the idea that he is one single being, one 
individual person. Jehovah is One — 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 41 

Thou shalt have no other Gods beside 
me. — -/ am God and there is none else. — 
I am Jehovah, and there is none else, 
there is no God beside me. — God is in 
thee ; and there is none else, there is no 
God. — There is no God else beside me, 
a just God and a Sa vior ; there is none 
else beside me. — Before me there was no 
god formed, neither shall there be after 
me. — There shall be One Jehovah and his 
name one. — There is One God; and there 
is none other but he. — Thee, the only true 
God. — It is One God. — But One God, 
the Father. — One God and Father of 
all. — One God. — God is One. Such is 
the language of scripture ; nor can it be 
conceived how expressions more suitable 
could be used in speaking of God as 
one individual being or person. Had 
the design been to express the existence 
of a plurality in God, such language 
would not have been admissible, and 
very different language would have been 
used. In all languages the plural pro- 
nouns, in the first person, are sometimes 
used when no plurality is intended ; but 
in no language are the singular pronouns, 
in the first person, such as I and me y 
used when a plurality is intended. Itis 
impossible to reconcile with the notion 
that God is a plurality of persons his 
d 2 



42 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 



having, with so few exceptions, spoken 
of himself in the singular number, as 
one single / and me: nor is the use of 
the plural pronouns, in a few instances, 
an argument against the unity of his 
person, as had they been used more fre- 
quently, it would have been nothing 
more than is common, in other cases, 
when only one person is inteuded. 

The supposition of a trinity of per- 
sons, or intelligent agents, in God, never 
can be reconciled with the plain and 
positive language of scripture, that God 
is one, that his name shall be one, and 
that to us there is but one God, the 
Father. 

The argument in support of a plu- 
rality in God, built upon the Hebrew 
word Aleim, is quite unfounded ; for 
the word must either be translated 
God or Gods; and Gods no trinitarian 
is prepared to admit of; itis undeniable 
the word has a singular as well as a 
plural meaning; for it is applied to 
Moses, who was but one person ; to 
thegoldencalf, which wasbutone image; 
and to Dagon, the god of the Philistiues, 
which was a single idol : and in the 
New Testament, when passages are 
quoted from the Old Testament in which 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



43 



this word occurs, a Greek word which 
is not plural is used as expressing its 
meaning. The evidence that God is one 
single being or person is completely de- 
cisive. 

2. The Unity of God includes the 
simplicity of his nature. He is One in- 
finite spirit, One supreme excellence. 

The oneness of his nature, or supreme 
excellence, precludes every idea of his 
being compounded of different princi- 
ples, or constituted with distinct parts 
or qualities. 

It is hardly possible to speak of God, 
without using figurative language ; such 
language abounds in scripture, especi- 
ally in the Old Testament. When we 
read of the hands and feet, the eyes 
and ears, the face and arm of Jehovah, 
such language is evidently figurative ; 
for we conceive not of him as a corpo- 
real being, or as having figure, or mate- 
rial form, or parts; he is spirit, not an 
object of the senses, not a local being ; 
seeing he filleth heaven and earth, and 
the heaven of heavens cannot contain 
him. It is declared that he is invisible, 
a being whom no eye hath seen nor can 
see. Men, especially in the early ages 
of the world, spoke of God after their 



44 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 



own manner. As the hands are the in- 
struments of action, and the feet of mo- 
tion from place to place, when the 
operations of God are described, his 
hands and feet are mentioned. As the 
eyes and ears are the organs by which 
we receive information, when God's 
knowledge of all things which exist and 
take place is spoken of, he is represent- 
ed as if he had these organs, as seeing 
and hearing. No person, who has just 
views of the Almighty, will think such 
forms of expression are to be construed 
literally. We can know nothing of the 
abstract being of God, or of the mode 
of his existence. The scriptures teach 
us that he is spirit; consequently no 
more divisible into parts than into dis- 
tinct persons. 

Human passions are no more ascri- 
bable to God than the organs of sense, 
or corporeal members. Whenever lan- 
guage expressive of the passions is ap- 
plied to him it must be understood figu- 
ratively. The attributes of God are 
not distinct qualities, united and com- 
bined to form his nature and character. 
They are not to be conceived of as re- 
sembling the different properties and 
passions which exist in created beings. 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



45 



The attributes of God have sometimes 
been represented as if they were like 
jarring elements, and conflicting pas- 
sions. In particular the justice and 
mercy of God have been described as 
if they were at variance and in opposi- 
tion. Much has been said about har- 
monizing the divine attributes, recon- 
ciling his justice and mercy, and open- 
ing a way for the latter to be manifested 
by satisfying the former; but the jus- 
tice and mercy of God never were at 
variance; his justice never was unmer- 
ciful, nor his mercy unjust; his attri- 
butes never were otherwise than harmo- 
nious. 

God is one, undivided, all perfect, 
supreme, and infinite excellence. What 
are called the attributes of God are the 
various displays of his one supreme and 
infinite excellence, which is spoken of 
according to its various operations and 
manifestations. The Divine nature is 
pure, perfect, and infinite goodness; and 
all the divine attributes are modifica- 
tions of goodness. God is not to be 
conceived of as if one part of him, or 
one property of his nature, was power, 
another wisdom, another justice, ano- 
ther goodness, another mercy, and that 



46 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 

all these united constitute his nature or 
being ; for ail that God is, is power; all 
that he is, is wisdom ; his whole nature 
is just and good and merciful. As 
God is one undivided being, his whole 
nature is one undivided excellence, 
which comprehends all possible perfec- 
tion. 

3. As God is one being, the one su- 
preme excellence, so he is one uniform 
character ; he is the Father oj all. This 
character he unifwmly sustains ; in it he 
always acts. 

That God sustains the character and 
relation of a Father, is clear both from 
reason and revelation. This character 
is not merely assumed, it belongs es- 
sentially to him, it has its foundation in 
the nature of things, it arises from the 
relation in which he necessarily stands 
to his creatures. He is the father of 
all because he hath created all. Until 
a man can be found w 7 hom God hath 
not made, one cannot be pointed out to 
whom he is not a father : so agreeable 
is this view of God to reason, that some 
of the heathen writers had an idea of it, 
and called mankind his offspring. In 
the sacred scriptures, God is plainly 
declared to be the father of all. As he 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



47 



can never cease to be the creator of all, 
he can never cease to be their father. 
As there never can be a moment when 
it can with truth be said, God is not 
the creator of all ; there never can be a 
moment when it can with truth be said, 
he is not the father of all. This must 
be his uniform character. 

He hath the heart and acts the part 
of a father towards all. The views 
which some persons have entertained, 
are inconsistent with the unity of his 
character, and lead us to think of the 
heathen God with two faces. They 
have described the great father of all, 
as regarding a part of his offspring with 
unalterable affection, ever acting to- 
wards them with partial fondness, and 
bestowing upon them all the riches of 
his favor; and as excluding the rest of 
the great family he hath created, from 
any share in his love; and acting to- 
wards them merely on the ground of 
rigorous justice. But God doth not 
sustain two such opposite characters ; 
he regards all his rational offspring 
with an equal affection, and hath made 
provision for the salvation and happi- 
ness of them all. 

God does not cease to be the father 
of all, in whatever other character he 



48 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 



may act. He sinks not the character 
of a father in that of moral governor 
and judge. As the father of all he 
governs all, and will judge all. The 
tenderness and love of the father is not 
lost in the austerity of the governor, and 
the severity of the judge. 

However varied his dispensations, they 
all proceed from a father's love, and are 
regulated by a father's hand. He is as 
much a father when he chasteneth and 
afflicts, as when he sends ease and pros- 
perity ; for whom the Lord loveth he 
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son 
whom he receiveth. He is our father 
through the whole of the present change- 
ful scene of things ; and will be our fa- 
ther through all the future periods of 
our existence, even for ever. 

Consistently with the uniformity of 
his character, he does every thing as a 
father; not only gives life, but also 
appoints that we should die; not only 
crowns our lives with his blessings, but 
allots to us a necessary portion of trial 
and suffering ; not only saves, but pu- 
nishes. There must necessarily be a 
unity of character in that great Being 
who is all perfect, absolutely independ- 
ent, and unchangeable: being always 
the same, he uniformly acts from wis- 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



49 



dom and goodness, there is no devia- 
tion from unbroken uniformity of cha- 
racter in this great Father of all. 

4. God is one mind ; he has one uni- 
form design in all his works, ivays, and 
dispensations. 

Unity of mind belongs not to crea- 
tures ; because they are finite, and ever 
liable to change: in them new thoughts 
arise, new feelings are excited ; events 
unforeseen by them take place, 
things assume a new appearance, unex- 
pected difficulties present themselves • 
they change their purpose, and form 
new designs. A finite mind cannot be 
always the same ; it comprehends not 
every thing, it is formed gradually, and 
is also always capable of improvement. 
It is far otherwise with that great 
Being, whose understanding is infinite ; 
who is perfect in wisdom, and almighty- 
He is in one mind, and none can turn 
him: whatsoever his soul desireth, that 
he doeth. As he comprehendeth every 
thing at one view, and possesseth uni- 
versal, uncontroiabie, and eternal do- 
minion, his design in creating, uphold- 
ing, and governing all things, formed in 
infinite wisdom, and arising from infinite 
goodness, must extend to all creatures 

E 



50 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 

and events, and be uniformly and eter- 
nally the same. As to him there can 
be nothing new, nothing unforeseen, 
nothing that can involve difficulty ; there 
can be nothing to lead him to change 
his design. \\ hat his mind is, it always 
was, and must eternally remain: for he 
is infinite and unchangeable. He, who 
is infinitely good, could not design the 
being without designing the well-being 
of his creatures. From all that is known 
of his character and perfections, all that 
can be learned from his works, and 
what is revealed in the scriptures, it ap- 
pears that his design, so far as relates 
to his rational creatures, is the produc- 
tion and continual increase of intellec- 
tual anil moral excellence and happi- 
ness. Whatever inferior designs may 
be supposed, for every thing to appear 
worthy of God, they must all be subor- 
dinate to and comprehended in this per- 
fectly wise and benevolent purpose. 
The Unity of the Divine mind leads to 
the grand conclusion, that if God ever 
desired and intended the intellectual 
and moral perfection, and consequent 
complete happiness, of the human race ; 
he will always desire and intend it, and 
make every thing subservient to the 
fulfilment of his own desire, the accom- 
plishment of his own design. 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



51 



Secondly, I attempt to show the prac- 
tical use and tendency of this doc- 
trine. 

The ancient prophets anticipated the 
happy effects which will arise from the 
universal diffusion of the knowledge of 
the One true God, and described them 
in language equally sublime and pious. 
They shall heat their swords into plow- 
shares, and their spears into pruning 
hooks: nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn 
ivar any more. — They shall not hurt nor 
destroy in all my holy mountain , for the 
earth shall be full of I he knowledge of 
Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.— 
From the rising of the sun even unto the 
going down of the same, my name shall 
be great among the Gentiles: and in 
every place incense shall be offered, and 
a pure offering. — Jehovah shall be king 
over all the earth: in that day there 
shall be One Jehovah, and his name One. 
Then judgment shall dwell in the wil- 
derness, and righteousness in the fruit- 
ful field. And the work of righteous- 
ness shall be peace, and the effect of 
righteousness, quietness and assurance 
for ever. 



52 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 

Such happy effects is the knowledge 
of the only living and true God calcu- 
lated to produce. What the prophets 
foretold will be realized ; the earth 
will be filled with righteousness and 
peace, when the One God, the Father 
of all, is universally known, and wor- 
shiped in spirit and in truth. 

1 . From the Unity of God, as already 
stated, ariseth the harmony and per- 
fection of the Divine government : by 
understanding the one, we may have a 
perception of the other. As God is one 
undivided Being, the one supremie ex- 
cellence, and uniformly sustains and 
acts in the character of a Father, with 
one fixed and unalterable design, it fol- 
lows that his government is one con- 
nected and perfect system, which ex- 
tends to all creatures and things, through- 
out all periods of duration. This view 
of the Divine government accords with 
what we perceive of the works, ways, 
and dispensations of God. Through- 
out the universe all the works of God 
are connected together; they are diver- 
sified parts of one great system of being ; 
combined they form one magnificent 
and astonishing whole. General laws 
are established which operate in all 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD* 



53 



parts of the amazing system of things, 
which God hath constituted. Under 
the superintendence of Divine provi- 
dence, all circumstances and events are 
combined, and made to work together. 
There are no events, nor occurrences, 
that are unconnected with, and abso- 
lutely independent on the general series. 
In the moral, as well as in the natural 
world, all things are arranged and con- 
nected together ; and, under the guid- 
ance of unerring wisdom, made sub- 
servient to good. We see things very 
imperfectly ; we perceive not all their 
connections and bearings, nor their re- 
mote consequences : hence we are filled 
with doubt and perplexity. Seeming 
disorder arises from our limited views ; 
there can be none to him who sees every 
thing perfectly, and directs all to a cer- 
tain end, All the Divine dispensations, 
both of providence and grace, are suc- 
cessive parts of one perfect plan ; a con- 
tinued series of measures, all leading 
on to one glorious end. r i he result of 
the whole will be universal life, and 
purity, and happiness. 

2. The doctrine of the Divine Unity 
is calculated to unite ail men in the wor- 
ship of one object, and to free them 
e 2 



54 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 



from the perplexity and confusion at- 
tendant on the admission of a plurality 
of objects of divine worship. All chris- 
tians admit that the One God, the Father, 
is worthy to receive thehighest worship 
and adoration ; in his worship they can 
all conscientiously unite; butnotin the 
worship of any other person. That it 
is perfectly scriptural to address our 
prayers and religious adorations to the 
great Father of all, no one will deny : 
about this, there neither is, nor can be 
any controversy. To him all can have 
access ; in his goodness and mercy all 
are interested. He is nigh unto all 
that call upon him. So long as other 
objects of divine worship are associated 
with the One God, disunion among 
christians will be unavoidable. Jesus 
said, The true worshipers shall ivorship 
the Father in spirit and in truth : and 
it is on this ground only they can all 
be united* 

3. This doctrine is calculated to pro- 
duce spiritual worship. Jesus stated as 
the ground of spiritual worship, that 
God is a Spirit. Proper views of his 
character as a Father, and of his su- 
preme excellence, will preserve us from 
superstition and mere formality in his 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 55 



worship ; and fill the mind with reve- 
rential awe, pure love, devout eonfi- 
ence, cheerful resignation, and habit- 
ual piety. The object being single, he 
must be served with singleness of heart ; 
being spirit, his worship must be spirit- 
ual ; being the father of all, all should 
serve him with filial piety and affection ; 
as his unalterable design respecting all 
is gracious, devout submission, entire 
confidence and devotedness become 
his servants. 

4. The view we have taken of the 
Divine Unity is calculated to unite ail 
men in one family as brethren. They 
have all one God, their creator and pre- 
server; one common father, who loves 
them all, their heavenly father hath one 
great design respecting them all, their 
intellectual and moral improvement and 
happiness; therefore they are all bre- 
thren, they have one common interest. 
God hath connected them together, as 
members one of another, as all standing 
in one common relation to himself, and 
hath combined the happiness of indivi- 
duals with the general good: hence 
they should love one another as bre- 
thren, study to promote each other's 
welfare, and be workers together with 



56 IMPORTANCE OF THE DOCTRINE 



God, in seeking the improvement and 
happiness of the human race. 

5 This doctrine is calculated to sup- 
port and cheer the mind at all times, 
amidst the most trying scenes and dis- 
tressing circumstances. What is so 
consolatory as the knowledge that God 
acts at all times, and in every thing, as 
a gracious and merciful father; that all 
our trials and sufferings come from his 
hand, and flow from his love ; that he 
hath one uniform design in all his deal- 
ings and dispensations, the improve- 
ment and happiness of his creatures ? 
Believing in One God, the father of all, 
who is infinitely wise and good ; of 
whom, and through whom, and to 
whom are all things ; we may always 
rejoice, being persuaded he will make 
every thing work for good and issue 
in happiness. 

6. The doctrine stated in this dis- 
course is calculated to make men one 
with God ; by filling them with the true 
knowledge of him, and with godlike 
dispositions ; by leading them cheerfully 
to acquiesce in his righteous will, and 
to act upon his wise and benevolent 
plan : so Jesus prayed that all who 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



57 



should believe on him through the word 
of his Apostles, might be one in him, 
and in the Father, even as he and the 
Father are one. This union is spoken 
of as the effect of their believing that 
the Father is the only true God, and 
that Jesus whom he sent is the Christ. 

7. This subject leads to the most ani- 
mating views of the creation and of all 
the works and ways of God. The earth 
is the habitation which an indulgent 
father hath prepared for his rational 
offspring, and is perfectly suited to their 
convenience and improvement, in the 
present stage of their existence. Man- 
kind are all alike related to God, how- 
ever diversified their conditions ; they 
share equally in the love of his heart, 
and in his parental care. The uncer- 
tain fluctuating scene of things in w hich 
they are placed, with all its pains and 
sorrows, is a state of salutary discipline, 
in which a kind father directs every 
thing. Under the government of God 
all is working for uood, and will be 
made subservient to the best interests 
of his rational creatures. 

Finally, We are led to view mankind 
in a new and interesting light. As God 



58 



OF THE UNITY OF GOD. 



can never cease to be their Father, nor 
change his design respecting them ; 
whatever may be their present state, he 
will conduct them to knowledge, virtue, 
and happiness. Our labors and exer- 
tions for their good will be ultimately 
successful. We look forward with con- 
fidence and joy, to a period, when the 
One God, the Father, will be glorified 
in all, and all will be made eternally 
happy iu him. 



DISCOURSE III. 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 

— 0*(hfO — 

MATTHEW xix. 17. 

Why callest thou me good ? there is none 
good hut One, that is God. 

God raised Jesus of Nazareth to the 
highest of all offices, never before had 
such power and authority been given to 
man as he possessed and exercised. 
The multitudes were astonished at his 
doctrine and mighty works. He was 
as much distinguished by his superior 
virtues as by his extraordinary powers. 
He went about doing good, healing all 
manner of diseases and sicknesses, ad- 
ministering instruction and consolation ; 
and devoted himself entirely to the 



80 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



glory of God and the salvation of men. 
If the most habitual piety, uniform and 
undeviating virtue, and unwearied ex- 
ertions for the good of mankind, could 
entitle a man to be called good, that 
epithet was fitly applied to Jesus ; but 
he disclaimed it, lest he should derogate 
from the honour of God, and seem to 
assume to himself what belongs to God 
only. In the words of our text, ad- 
dressed to the young man who called 
him good, he teaches that there is but 
One Being in the universe who is truly 
God, that he himself is not that Being; 
(for had he been that Being he could not 
have objected to being called good in 
the most absolute sense;) and that no 
other being is good in comparison of 
the One and only God. 

To the goodness of God, I would 
now engage your attention. 

I propose, 

First, Giving an outline of the evi- 
dence that God is a good Being. 

Secondly, Showing under what views 
he only is good. 

Thirdly, Adding a few inferences 
and practical remarks. 



THE GOODNESS OF feOD. 61 



First, / shall give an outline of the evi- 
dence that God is a good Being. 

The proofs of the Divine goodness 
are so many, and so various, that 
wherever we turn our eyes we may per- 
ceive them ; they fill the universe : and 
the more we consider them, the more 
shall we be filled with admiration, gra- 
titude and praise. 

I. Creation is evidently an effect of 
goodness and, throughout, displays the 
goodness of God. 

1. Life is felt, by all sentient crea- 
tures, to be a blessing; they seek to 
preserve it. So long as reason holds 
her seat and maintains her sway in man, 
he clings to life and cherishes it as a 
blessing; but if life be a blessing, the 
gift of it to innumerable classes of crea- 
tures, and to myriads of each class, is 
an unequivocal proof that the Creator is 
good. 

2. No creature is made without a ca- 
pacity for enjoyment, and a suscepti- 
bility of pleasure of some kind. Man 
is formed capable of a rich variety of 
enjoyments, and is susceptible of a 

F 



62 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD, 



great diversity of pleasures. This is 
another proof of the Creator's good- 
ness. 

3. The arrangement and order of the 
universe and its various parts, the curi- 
ous organization of creatures, the man- 
ner in which one thing is adapted to 
another, and the principle of utility 
which pervades the whole, exhibit 
abundant proof of the goodness of the 
maker of all things. Js the sun made 
to shine in vain? Do the rain and the 
dew descend to no useful purpose? Do 
the seasons revolve without producing 
blessings both to man and beast ? Are 
not ail the ordinances of heaven esta- 
blished in goodness? Survey the hu- 
man frame : you find nothing superflu- 
ous, no deficiency, nothing useless: all 
the parts are suited to some useful pur- 
pose : the. whole equally displays the 
goodness and skill of its maker. — 
Throughout a!! nature, one thing is 
adapted to another : the whole, like a 
vast machine containing innumerable 
wheels and springs, is manifestly form- 
ed, and moves for good. Had the crea- 
tion been the work of an evil being, it 
would have been the reverse of what 
we now behold ; had it not been the 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



63 



work of a perfectly good being, so 
much of goodness would not have ap- 
peared in every part of it. 

God saw evert/ thing that he had 
made, and behold it was very good. Ig- 
norance may find fault with his w 7 ork, 
and pronounce this useless, and that 
injurious, merely because their uses are 
yet unknown; and pride and folly may 
think every thing made in vain, which 
they cannot appropriate to their own 
gratification ; but piety will exclaim, 
How w r onderful are thy works, in wis- 
dom hast thou made them all! and look 
forward to a time of more ripened 
knowledge, when every thing will be 
perceived to exist for some useful pur- 
pose. 

II, Divine providence furnishes fur- 
ther proof that God is good. 

By providence is meant the care which 
the Almighty exerciseth over his crea- 
tures; the provision he hath made for 
their preservation and well-being. In 
the ways of providence there may be 
many things too difficult for us to ex- 
plain ; yet enough of goodness appears 
in its general outline, to characterize 
the whole system, and convince us that 
it is throughout good. 



64 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



1. God hath made ample provision 
for the wants of all his creatures, and 
furnished them with abundant means of 
enjoyment, His care is extended to 
every thing he hath made, His tender 
mercies are over all his works. Spar- 
rows and worms, even the minutest in- 
sects, as Well as man, are all provided 
for by his beneficent hand. He hath 
made provision for the gratification of 
every innocent appetite, passion ,and de- 
sire. He withholds from man no indul- 
gence that is safe for him, forbids not 
his appropriating to himself the good 
things of this life, so far as he can do it 
without injury; and excess of every 
kind changes pleasure for pain.. Food 
and sleep are necessary to the continu- 
ance of life, health, and activity; had 
eating, drinking, and sleeping, been at- 
tended with pain, who could have en- 
joyed life? but these necessary things, 
which must be daily repeated, are ac- 
companied with pleasure, when excess 
is avoided. Is not this a clear proof, 
that the being who made us is good, and 
intends our happiness. 

% Provision is not only made for the 
preservation and comfort of individuals, 
of all who at present exist ; but also for 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



65 



perpetuating the various orders of crea- 
tures, by successive generations ; and 
the means necessary to these ends are 
sources of pleasure. God hath planted 
such sympathies and affections in nature, 
that the continuing and providing for 
successive generations of animals, of all 
the different classes, is attended with 
pleasure. The social feelings and ten- 
der affections implanted in man, con- 
nect the happiness of the parent with 
the safety and well-being of his offspring; 
render social duties pleasurable; and 
are the bonds, which unite men in so- 
ciety, and lay the foundation of social 
happiness. These things show the good- 
ness of the great Father of all. 

3. The kindness of divine providence 
is every where manifested. The spot 
cannot be found where divine goodness 
is not displayed, nor the creature, who 
does not share in the bounty of the 
common parent ; nor are his care and 
beneficence suspended for a single mo- 
ment. He openeth his hand and sup- 
plieth the wants of all living. He 
crowneth the year with his goodness. — 
O/*, that men would praise the Lord for 
his goodness, and for his wonderful works 
to the children of men ! 

F 2 



66 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



III. The moral system which God hath 
established exhibits clear proofs that he 
is a good Being. 

1« Sucb a system is established in the 
moral world, that man must be the ar- 
tificer of his own happiness, he must 
erect the superstructure of his own in- 
tellectual and moral attainments. 

This is a benevolent appointment ; 
for indolence and inactivity benumb 
and debase the human mind ; activity 
and industry improve and enlarge its 
faculties. The exercise of our powers 
raises us above the inert clods of the 
valley. What we gain by our own ex- 
ertions, produces a pleasure that cannot 
be derived from any other source. By 
being compelled to activity, with a view r 
to his own good, man must do something 
in, and for society ; but could he have 
every thing without his own exertions, 
he would be nothing in the world. 

2. Such a connection is established 
between causes and effects in the moral 
system, that no man can be vicious with 
impunity, nor virtuous without receiving 
a reward. Vice is always productive 
of pain and bitterness. Some vices not 
only destroy peace of mind ; they ruin 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



67 



the character and circumstances of those 
who indulge in them ; they debilitate 
the frame and constitution, and bring 
many to an untimely grave. All sin 
must be productive of pain, as it robs 
a man of his own esteem, and sets him 
at variance with his own conscience.— 
Every evil passion is in some degree a 
tormentor. Virtue is productive of 
peace of mind, and intellectual plea- 
sure ; and is conducive to health, cheer- 
fulness, reputation, and even worldly 
comfort and advantage. The being who 
hath thus arranged causes and effects 
must be rood. 

3. The moral system is so consti- 
tuted, that true self-love will lead us to 
do good to our fellow creatures. No 
man can secure his own happiness with- 
out promoting the happiness of others. 
He, who would be truly blest, must 
make himself a blessing. The more 
good he does, the more happiness he 
gains. This order of things could arise 
from nothing but goodness. 

4. The laws established in the moral 
system, have a constant tendency to 
intellectual and moral improvement. 
Though in some persons and places 



68 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



there may seem to be an intellectual 
and moral retrogression ; yet, on a care- 
ful and comprehensive view of things, 
it will be found, that, on the whole, in- 
tellectual and moral improvement has 
been always advancing. To judge 
properly of this, we should compare 
the present state of knowledge and im- 
provement, both as to its degree and 
extent, with what it was in former 
times. A system which ever tends to 
greater perfection, must have originated 
with a being who is perfectly good. 

IV. Divine revelation is a testimony of 
the goodness of God. 

1. In the scriptures the goodness of 
God is proclaimed. It is declared that 
he is good, good unto all, and that his 
goodness abideth continually. 

2. Divine revelation not only declares 
that God is good, it exhibits the most 
astonishing proofs of his goodness. It 
makes known the greatness of his love, 
and opens the riches of his grace to the 
children of men. It shows how he 
raised up Jesus of Nazareth to be the 
teacher and savior of the world, It 
opens the gates of mercy and salvation 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



69 



to sinners universally. It proclaims the 
free forgiveness of sins. It makes known 
eternal life as the gift of God. It con- 
tains a provision for all our moral and 
spiritual wants. 

V. The goodness of God is so evident 
from his w r orks, and so plainly declared 
in his word, as to compel universal as- 
sent among all w ho profess faith in him. 
A man cannot be found who believes 
there is a God, and will not admit that 
he is good ; yea, infinitely good. 

It may be objected, that there is much 
evil in the world ; and asked, How its 
existence is to be reconciled with the 
belief that all things wer£ made, and 
are governed, by a being who is per- 
fectly good. It is replied : — 1, Evil is 
relative, and may be made subservient 
to good ; there is no such thing as ab- 
solute evil : consequently its existence 
is not incompatible with the absolute 
goodness of God.— 2, Evil is partial and 
temporary ; good, or enjoyment, every 
where preponderates, and will be eter- 
nal ; evil is merely an infraction of the 
established order of things, throughout 
which goodness appears. Enjoyment 
is the ordinary course, and suffering 



70 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD, 



only an interruption of it. — 3, We see 
evil, in many instances, made subser- 
vient to, and productive of good : hence 
it is reasonable to conclude, all evil will 
be made to issue in good. — 4, Consti- 
tuted as the present world is, and formed 
as man is, to be instructed by experience, 
it does not appear that all evil could be 
excluded in the present state. — 5, It 
cannot be shewed that more evil is per- 
mitted than is necessary to produce the 
greatest ultimate good ; and unless this 
could be shown, its existence cannot be 
proved inconsistent with divinegoodness, 

Secondly, I attempt to show under 
iv hat views God only is good. 

There are undoubtedly many good 
men; but they are only comparatively 
good. Of all men Jesus Christ was 
pre-eminently good. He excelled all 
others in benevolence, mercy and good- 
ness. He was free from the evil pas- 
sions and selfish feelings, which too fre- 
quently appear in others. He showed 
himself the most perfect image of the 
God of infinite goodness. Yet he dis- 
claimed the character of good, in the 
sense in which it belongs to his God 
and Father, 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



71 



fri The goodness of God is underived, 
uncaused, unoriginafecL He is, in and 
of himself, good. Goodness is his es- 
sential and eternal nature. His very 
being is perfect goodness : it is his su- 
preme excellence. This cannot be said 
of any other being. The goodness of 
all others is originated and derived.— 
Even all the goodness of Jesus Christ 
was derived from this eternal fountain 
of all good. He declared that he re- 
ceived ail from the Father. He was 
not good independently of God. 

2, God alone is the primary source of 
all that is good in the universe. It is 
either the work of his hand, or a com- 
munication from his fulness. All the 
good that is found in creatures is de- 
rived from and dependent on him. He 
is the supreme and eternal fountaiu of 
goodness. x4ll created good is his work. 
Our Lord is the channel, not the origi- 
nal fountain, of all the goodness and 
blessings which come to men bv him. 

3. The goodness of God is pure and 
absolute. There is nothing in God but 
what is good, nor that can operate, but 
for good. Nothing can come from him 
but what flows from goodness, and 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



tends to good. All that he does, is 
done in goodness, and must produce 
good. In him there is no mixture, no 
contrariety ; ail his fulness is pure and 
absolute goodness, His goodness is 
without the least alloy. It is not dimi- 
nished by ignorance, nor by weakness, 
• nor by the slightest possible limitation 
of powers ; nor is it capable of being 
bounded in its operations by any power 
in the universe ; for it is the pure good- 
ness of an infinitely wise and almighty 
Being, who is the supreme, universal, 
and eternal Sovereign. These things 
cannot with truth be asserted of any 
other being. 

4. The goodness of God is most per- 
fect. It is all that goodness can be. It 
comprehends all his attributes and per- 
fections : they are all modifications of 
goodness, which is his general excel- 
lence; and only differently character- 
ized according to its various manifes- 
tations. An Apostle declares, God is 
love. The term love is not merely used 
to express his pure benevolence and 
beneficence ; but his essential, immu- 
table, and eternal nature. The goodness 
of all other beings must be limited; be- 
cause, being finite, their powers are 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 73 

limited. They are capable of increas- 
ing in goodness ; but the goodness of 
God hath ever been what it is, and such 
it must always remain, absolutely perfect. 

5. God being only and perfectly good, 
his goodness must he infinite. It can 
have no bound nor limit. It must ex- 
tend to all creatures, and fill the uni- 
verse ; for it is the supreme excellence, 
infinite nature, and fulness of Mini; who 
filleth heaven and earth, whom heaven, 
and the heaven of heavens cannot con- 
tain. Wherever God is, wherever he 
presides and reigns, there supreme 
goodness is ; there it presides and 
reigns. The goodness of God must be 
immutable and absolutely eternal ; for 
it is essential to that great Being who is 
immutable and eternal; who can no 
more cease to be good, than he can 
cease to be God ; whose goodness can 
no more fail, than his existence or his 
throne can fail. 

Language is too poor to express, and. 
our powers are too limited to conceive 
of, the magnitude of divine goodness: 
it is great beyond all conception. God 

ONLY CAN FULLY COMPREHEND HIS OWN 

goodness. Who then will be so da- 

G 



74 



THE GOODNESS OF GOB. 



ringly presumptuous, as to attempt to 
set bounds and limits to divine love 
and mercy ; to say, to whom the good- 
ness of God shall extend ; how long it 
shall operate towards them ; or to 
w hat degree it shall be manifested, even 
towards the most unworthy and rebel- 
lious of the children of men ? If there 
be such a person, let him attempt to 
count the sands on the sea shore; let 
him number the drops of water in the 
ocean; let him span the firmament on 
high ; let him describe the utmost boun- 
daries of the universe; all this would 
be a work less difficult, and an attempt 
less presumptuous, than to describe the 
dimensions of, and fix bounds and li- 
mits to, the goodness, or love of God, 
which is supreme, immense, and eternal. 

However Christ may excel all other 
created beings in goodness, as he is not 
infinite, his goodness cannot, like the 
goodness of God his Father, be infinite. 
Thus it appears, that the one and only 
God, is the one and only good, in the 
most strict and absolute sense of the 
expression. It is impossible to con- 
ceive too highly of his goodness, or to 
speak of it in language too strong, or 
too comprehensive. We cannot think 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



75 



too worthily of God, nor speak too 
much good of his name. What do 
I say ? Our most exalted thoughts are 
infinitely below the grandeur of the 
subject; our most lofty expressions 
veil its lustre. Let us meditate upon 
it with reverential awe, and adore in 
devout silence the goodness which is 
unsearchable. 

Thirdly, I proceed to state a few in- 
ferences, and make some practical re- 
marks. 

1. If God be infinitely good, how 
comprehensive must be his designs and 
plans of goodness respecting his crea- 
tures! What extensive plans of bene- 
volence have even some good men con- 
ceived ! How unbounded have been 
their wishes for the happiness of man- 
kind ! What would they not have done 
for the good of the world, had their 
powers been equal to their enlarged 
sentiments of goodness ! But what is 
the goodness of the best of men, in 
comparison of the goodness of God? 
It is but a drop from the infinite ocean 
of all goodness. The utmost goodness 
of the best of human beings is less, in 
comparison with the goodness of God, 



76 THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



than the smallest grain of sand is, in 
comparison with the universe : and 
God, being almighty, is able to carry 
into effect, fully to realize, all his most 
benevolent designs. 

2. If God be infinitely good, he must 
necessarily have made all men for hap- 
piness ; it is impossible he should give 
existence to a single individual without 
intending his happiness ; or that he 
should cause him to exist, if he knew 
his existence, on the w hole, would not 
be to him a blessing. God cannot 
cease to desire and design the happi- 
ness of all his creatures ; for he cannot 
cease to be infinitely good; and what 
he designs, he will infallibly accomplish ; 
for, He is in one mind, and none can turn 
him; and ivhatsoever his soul desireth^ 
even that he doeth. 

3. If God be good, he cannot require 
impossibilities of his creatures; he can- 
not call them to perform what is above 
their strength ; he cannot require they 
should be more perfect than he hath 
formed them capable of being ; he will 
Bot severely mark their frailties and im- 
perfections ; he will not reject the well- 
meant endeavors of his feeble and er« 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 77 



ring offspring to please him, though 
mixed with ignorance and imperfection; 
because to do these things, to say the 
least, would be contrary to goodness. 

4. If God be purely good, he must 
be naturally merciful, ready to forgive, 
and to dispense salvation, and eternal 
life of his free favor. He can need no 
atonement of his wrath ; for there can 
be no wrath to atone in a being who is 
purely good. He can require no price 
for pardon, nor for any of his blessings ; 
because his liberality is most pure and 
unbounded. 

5. If God be absolutely good, he 
must always allot to his creatures, 
what he sees to be wisest and best for 
them ; nor can he suffer any thing pain- 
ful to befal them, but what is necessary 
for their benefit. This view of things 
should reconcile us to all the dealings 
of his providence, and make us happy, 
whatever may be our outward circum- 
stances, or condition in life. 

6. If God be infinitely good, he can- 
not be partial : he cannot have limited 
his love, and his gracious and merciful 
provision of salvation and eternal life, 

G 2 



78 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 



to a part of the great family he hath 
created ; for such partiality would be 
inconsistent with unbounded goodness. 
He must have made provision for the 
salvation and eternal happines of the 
w r hole human race ; otherwise, it is con- 
ceivable that his goodness might have 
been more extended ; consequently that 
it is not infinite, 

7. If God be perfectly good, he can- 
not be the subject of revenge, for re- 
venge is inconsistent with perfect good- 
ness ; he cannot punish vindictively 
and endlessly ; for such punishment 
cannot be reconciled with perfect good- 
ness. Being all-wise and almighty, as 
well as supremely good, he will, no 
doubt, make all his rational offspring ul- 
timately happy. Punishment, inflicted 
by him, in a future, as well as in the 
present state, must be intended to an- 
swer a benevolent purpose. 

8. The goodness of God should lead 
sinners to repentance. The considera- 
tion that sin is committed against a Be- 
ing who is infinitely good, tends to im- 
press the mind w ith a sense of its hate- 
fulness, and to produce true penitence. 
The knowledge that God is infinitely 



THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 79 



merciful, is a sufficient encouragement 
to the sinner to confess and forsake his 
sins ; as there can be no doubt of his 
penitence being accepted, and of his 
obtaining forgiveness, 

9. The infinite goodness of God esta- 
blishes the firmest ground of confi- 
dence in him. When we believe, not 
only that he is too wise to err, and too 
powerful to fail, but that he is too good 
to withhold any blessing that is proper 
for us, or to suffer any thing to befal 
us, but what is necessary for our good ; 
that he will not fail to make all things 
work together for good ; we can leave 
our present and eternal all, with entire 
confidence, in his hands, and be filled 
with peace and joy. 

10. The infinite goodness of God is 
a sufficient reason why we should love 
him with all our heart, and soul, and 
mind, and strength. The supreme good 
must be the supreme beauty ; and must 
be worthy of entire and universal ad- 
miration and love. 

11. As God alone is absolutely good, 
he alone is the proper object of divine 
worship, and of the highest adoration. 



80 THE GOODNESS OF GOD, 

12. As goodness is the supreme ex- 
cellence, it is most worthy of imitation ; 
and it is our highest interest, so far as 
we are capable, to imitate the goodness 
of God. He is the ever blessed, be- 
cause he is the ever good * and supreme- 
ly happy, because he is supremely good : 
so far as we imitate his goodness, we 
shali be happy; w 7 e shall participate in 
the biessedness which flows from him. 

Finally, Our hopes, founded upon 
the infinite goodness of God, cannot be 
raised too high, respecting our final 
portion ; and the final portion of our 
fellow creatures. What may we not 
expect from such a God ? Let us exult 
in the prospect of that glorious period, 
when ignorance and vice, misery and 
death, shall be no more; when the 
goodness of God shall be so fully known, 
and shall so powerfully operate, as to 
produce a universe of moral excellence 
and happiness ; when God shall be 
all in all. We are waiting for thy 
salvation, O Lord ! 



DISCOURSE IV. 



EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, AND 
MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD, 

0*0+0- — 

JOB ii, 10. 

What ! shall ice receive good at the hand 
of God, and shall we not receive evil? 

The Book of Job is, probably, the most 
ancient Poem in the world. Though it 
appears to be founded on facts, it is 
written with all the licence of eastern 
style, and poetic composition. The 
sufferings of pious and good men, seem- 
ing to involve a difficulty respecting the 
justice of providence, the writer de- 
scribes a perfect and upright man, one 
that feared God and eschewed evil, as 
subjected to afflictions the most severe 
and complicated ; he relates what passed 



82 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD ? 



between him and his friends, in the de- 
bate they are supposed to have had 
with him, respecting the cause of his 
sufferings; and represents God as at 
length interposing to decide the matter. 
The whole is designed to illustrate and 
justify the ways of providence, especi- 
ally in the sufferings of the pious, vir- 
tuous, and good. From this interesting 
story much valuable instruction may be 
derived. 

1. It shows the instability of all hu- 
man affairs, the uncertainty of all earth- 
ly possessions, Job is described as 
being the greatest of all the men of the 
East. His substance was seven thousand 
sheep, and three thousand camels, and 
Jive hundred yoke of oxen, and Jive hun- 
dred she asses, and a very great house- 
hold. There were horn unto him seven 
sons and three daughters. His sons 
were grown up, and had separate house- 
holds. Long had he enjoyed prospe- 
rity, lived in opulence, and been respect- 
ed and honored. At length the dark 
days of adversity arrived, the scene was 
entirely changed, the most painful re- 
verses took place. In one sad day, the 
messengers of evil tidings rapidly suc- 
ceeded each other, informing Job of the 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 83 



dreadful calamities which had over- 
whelmed his house, and left him poor, 
childless, and desolate. And there 
came a messenger to Job, and said, The 
oxen icere plowing, and the asses feeding 
beside them : and the Sabeans fell upon 
them and took them away ; yea, they have 
slain the servants with the edge of the 
sword ; and I only am escaped alone to 
tell thee. While he was yet speaking, 
there came also another, and said, The 
fire of God is fallen from heaven, and 
hath burned up the sheep, and the ser- 
vants, and consumed litem ; and I only 
am escaped alone to tell thee. While he 
teas yet speaking, there came also another \ 
and said, 'The Chaldeans made out three 
bands, and jell upon the camels, and have 
carried them away, yea, and slain the ser- 
vants with the edge of the sword ; and I 
only am escaped alone to tell thee. While 
he was yet speaking, there came also ano- 
ther, and said, Thy sons and thy daugh- 
ters were eating, and drinking wine in 
their eldest brother s house ; and behold 
there came a great wind from the wilaer- 
ness, and smote the four coiners oj the 
house, and it felt upon the young men, 
and they are dead; and 1 only am escap- 
ed atone to tell thee. Shortly after, he 
was smitten with sore boils from the sole 



64 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOB, 



of his foot unto his croivn. And he 
took a potsherd to scrape himself withal; 
and he sat down among the ashes. Those 
who before caressed and honored him, 
now fled from him, and some even de- 
rided him. Who can have more reason 
than Job had to say, My mountain stands 
firm ? yet how soon was it moved ! 

2. From the case of Job, we learn that 
the best of men may be the most afflicted. 
He was a truly good, as well as a great 
man, God is represented as saying of 
him, There is none like him in the earth, 
a perfect and an upright man. His con- 
duct, when informed of the loss of all 
his substance, and of the death of his 
children, showed his piety and resigna- 
tion. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, 
and shaved his head, and fell dozen upon 
the ground and worshiped 0 ; and said, 
Naked came I out of my mother s womb, 
and naked shall I return thither ; the 
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
away ; blessed be the name of the Lord. 
His wife, having her feelings greatly 
agitated, said unto him, Dost thou still 
hold fast thine integrity, bless God and 
die ? The word rendered in the com- 
mon version curse, unquestionably means 
bless: the whole of what she said may 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 85 

be understood interrogatively. His an- 
swer is full of piety. Thou speakest 
as one of the foolish women speaketh : 
What ! shall we receive good at the hand 
of God, and shall ice not receive evil 1 

Afflictions are no certain proof of the 
divine displeasure, nor that the afflicted 
are unrighteous persons; they are in- 
tended to make the good man better 
and happier. 

3. We learn from the account of Job, 
that however God, for wise and gracious 
purposes, may afflict his servants, he 
will not forsake them in their afflictions 
but will make the most painful events 
work for their good, and terminate in 
their happiness. Ye have heard of the 
patience of Job, and have seen the end 
of the Lord ; that the Lord is very pi- 
tiful and of tender mercy. The Lord 
blessed the latter end of Job, more than 
his beginning. He hath said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So 
that we may boldly say, The Lord is my 
helper, and I will not fear what man shall 
do unto me. 

4. Every thing shows the present life 
to be, not a state of uninterrupted en- 
joyment, but of trial and discipline : a 

H 



86 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 



mixed scene, in which pleasure and 
pain, joy and sorrow, prosperity and 
adversity, are intermingled. Every pos- 
session and enjoyment is uncertain: we 
know not what shall be on the morrow; 
but trials and sufferings are to be ex- 
pected ; they are the common lot of hu- 
manity, and are necessary for the further 
improvement of even good men. 

5. The scriptures teach those sen- 
timents, and exhibit those examples of 
suffering virtue, which are calculated 
to afford the good man support and 
comfort under all the trials and afflic- 
tions of life; but it is necessary we 
should make ourselves familiarly ac- 
quainted with the sentiments they teach, 
and the examples they place before us, 
in order to our deriving support and 
comfort from thein, in the day of ad- 
versity. 

Our text supposes that evil as well 
as good comes from the hand of God ; 
and that we ought to receive, that is, 
accept, the oue at his hand, as well as 
the other. 

First, I shall attempt to shotv. that evil 
as icell as good comes from the hand 
of God. 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TQ GOOD. 87 

Unless we believe this, I know not 
how we can be reconciled to every thing 
that takes place, and be brought pa- 
tiently to submit to all the afflictive 
events and occurrences of life. That 
Job entertained this sentiment is evident : 
severe as the calamities were which had 
befallen him ; overwhelming as the dis- 
tress he experienced ; he considered the 
whole as coming from the hand of God ; 
for he said of all the evil which was 
come upon him, shall we not receive it 
at the hand of God ? That second 
causes operate in producing the evils 
which take place, and that creatures 
are the instruments of them, is no reason 
why they should not be considered as 
coming from the hand of God ; any 
more than second causes operating in 
producing the good we recejve, and 
creatures being he instruments of bles- 
sings to us, is a reason why that good 
and those blessings should not be con- 
sidered as coming from his hand. The 
government of God is carried on, and 
his designs are accomplished, by the 
agency of second causes. When we 
speak of second causes, a prior cause 
is always supposed, on whom they are 
dependent, and to whom they are sub- 
servient. Job knew that the Sabeans, 



88 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 



the Chaldeans, the lightning, the wind 
from the wilderness, and a disease, were 
the instrumental causes of his sufferings : 
yet this did not prevent his considering 
them as coming from the hand of God, 
The design of the writer of the book, 
in the introductory part, is to show, that 
no evil can befal a good man, no power 
can approach to hurt him, without the 
knowledge and permission of God. 
Hence he represents the instruments of 
the evils which came upon Job, as pre- 
senting themselves before God under 
the character of Satan, an adversary ; 
and as obtaining licence from him, be- 
fore they could afflict the good man. 
Hence we learn that neither winds, nor 
storms, nor fire, nor any other element, 
nor any wicked men, nor diseases, can 
approach the righteous to hurt them, 
without the knowledge and permission 
Of God. 

In other parts of scripture, evil as 
well as good is declared to come from 
the divine hand. The following are a 
few out of many proofs that might be 
produced. Judges, ii, 15. The hand 
of the Lord teas against them for evil. 
2 Sam. xii, 11. Behold I zvill raise up 
evil against thee. 1 Kings, ix, 9. There- 
fore hath the Lord brought upon them 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 89 



all this evil. 2 Kings, vi, 33. Behold 
this evil is of the Lord. Neh. xiii, 18, 
Did not our God bring all this evil upon 
us. Isa. xlv, 7. / form the light, and 
create darkness ; I make peace, and cre- 
ate evil, I, the Lord, do all these things. 
Jer. iv, 6. 1 will bring evil from the 
north. Chap, xviih 11. 1 frame evil 
against you. Chap, xix, 3. Behold, I 
will bring evil upon this place. Chap, 
xxsii. 42. I have brought all this great 
evil upon this people. Amos, iii. 6. Shall 
there be evil in a cify, and the Lord hath 
not done it? Mich. i. 12. But evil 
came down from the Lord. 

The scriptures teach that all things, 
consequently evil as well as good, are 
under the government of God. He 
cloeth according to his own ivill in the 

CD 

armies of heaven, and amongst the inha- 
bitants of the ear ih. — Who is he that 
saith, and it cometh to puss, when the 
Lord commandeth it not ? — The Lord 
hath prepared his throne in the heavens ; 
and his kingdom ruleth over all. — Surely 
the wrath of man shall praise thee : the 
remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. 
Are not two sparrows sold for a far- 
thing? and one of them shall not Jail to 
the ground without your Father But 
the very hairs of your head are all num- 

h 2 



90 EVIL FROM THE HAND 0? GOD, 

bered.—For of him, and through him, 
and to him , are all things. Such is the 
strong and comprehensive language 
used by the sacred writers, to show 
that every thing is under the control 
and dominion of the Almighty* 

By evil is meant whatever is painful ; 
by good, whatever is pleasurable. By 
evil in our text, and in this Discourse, is 
meant every kind of suffering, whatever 
is contrary to ease and enjoyment. Sin, 
which is called moral evil, cannot exist 
in God, nor proceed from him; for he 
is, a God of truth, and without iniquity, 
just and right is he. — The Lord is 
righteous in all his ways, and holy in all 
his works The same event as it pro- 
ceeds from God may be wise and good, 
and as it proceeds from men, foolish 
and sinful. Actions are righteous or 
wicked according to the views and mo- 
tives of the actor. Joseph's brethren 
hated him and sold him ; this was sin- 
ful ; but God, by their instrumentality 
sent him into Egypt, for wise and bene- 
volent purposes; this was just and 
good. Joseph expressed what was 
strictly true when he said to them after- 
wards, As for you, ye thought evil 
against me ; but God meant it unto good 
The same thing which they intended as 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 91 



evil, God meant for good. Sin exists 
only in the creature, and proceeds entire- 
ly from the creature: it consists in what 
is contrary to the will of God. It is 
denominated evil because it is painful 
and bitter in its effects. God hath so 
constituted man, and connected causes 
and effects in the moral world, that 
whatever is morally wrong is produc- 
tive of pain and misery, therefore the 
evil, that is the pain and suffering, may 
be considered as inflicted by him, as 
coming from his hand. His wisdom 
and goodness in this constitution of 
things is manifest : it renders the way of 
transgressors hard, and has a tendency 
to check them in their career of iniqui- 
ty ; such bitter effects are attendant 
upon sin, as are calculated to make 
men sensible of the evil of it, and pro- 
mote its removal. As all evil, that is 
pain and suffering, is from the hand of 
God, it is intended to promote reforma- 
tion and improvement. 

Secondly. / shall state those consider- 
ations which should dispose us, tvith 
devout submission, to receive evil at the 
hand of God, as well as good. 

1. The consideration that every thing 
is under the direction of a Being, who is 



92 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 



infinitely wise, powerful, and good ; 
that nothing can befal us without his 
knowledge and permission ; that our 
times are in his hand, and he performeth 
all things for us ; should reconcile us to 
all the events and occurrences of life, 
however painful they may be. He is 
too wise, and just, and good, and mer- 
ciful, to allot any more pains and suffer- 
ings to any of his creatures than are 
needful, He can take no pleasure in 
their unhappiness. We acknowledge 
his wisdom and goodness in our exist- 
ence, preservation, and manifold enjoy- 
ments; he is the same wise and good 
Being, w hen he calls us to drink of the 
cup of adversity, and disciplines us by 
affliction. Why should we question 
his wisdom and kindness any more in 
the evil he allots to us, than in the good 
he communicates? Shall we receive 
the one at his hand and not the other? 
Shall we with eager hand seize the cup 
of pleasure, and rebelliously spurn at 
the, perhaps more salutary, cup of ad- 
versity, though presented to us by a 
gracious Father! Let us accept both 
with gratitude and pious submission. 

2. Some measure of evil seems to be 
necessary in the present state of man, 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 93 

for his discipline and improvement, and 
to prepare hirn for higher enjoyment: 
nor have we any reason to think more 
is permitted, under the government of a 
Being, who is infinitely wise and good, 
than is necessary for these valuable pur- 
poses. The present life is the mere in- 
fancy of our existence ; it is not de- 
signed to be a state of unalloyed en- 
joyment ; but of trial and discipline. 
Our heavenly Father allots to us, not 
what is most gratifying, but what will 
the best promote our improvement, and 
prepare us for the greatest ultimate feli- 
city. Evil is included in the means 
which God employs in training up his 
children for immortality and glory. — 
It became him, for whom are all things, 
and by whom are all things, in bringing 
many sons unto glory, to make the cap- 
tain of their salvation perfect through 
sufferings. 

The greatest characters have been 
formed in the school of adversitv ; the 
best men have been made hetter by af- 
flictions ; and the rational creation at 
large is placed under a painful disci- 
pline, with a view to their final deliver- 
ance and happiness : For the creature 
was made subject to vanity, not willing- 
ly, but by reason of him who hath sub- 



94 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 



jected the same in hope ; because the crea- 
ture itself shall be delivered Jrom the 
bondage of corruption into the glorious 
liberty of the children of God. For we 
knoiv that the whole creation groaneth 
and travaileth together in pain until now. 
The experience of evil seems necessary 
to prepare man for enjoyment : he judg- 
es of things, and feels respecting them, 
as they are contrasted with each other. 
The knowledge of good and evil are 
ascribed to the same tree. Man seems 
incapable of knowing the one without 
knowiug the other, or of knowiug either 
bat by experience. Formed to be the 
child and pupil of experience, to gain 
knowledge from practice, to become 
virtuous and happy by the free exercise 
of the powers God hath given him, evil 
seems unavoidable, until instructed by 
experience man chooses only good, and 
is prepared for the full enjoyment of it. 
ShaU we then complain that Coo hath 
not made us different creatures from 
what we are, or that having made us 
su h, he allots to us what is wisest and 
bent, 

3. At the hand of God we are con- 
tinually receiving much good. What- 
ever evils we experience, enjoyment pre- 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 95 

ponderates ; the ordinary course of 
things is a state of enjoyment, of which 
evil is an infraction. What are the evils 
we lament, but either the loss of what 
we once enjoyed, or the want of what 
we desire to eniov? and they teach us 
the value of the good we before received, 
or which we believe to be attainable. — 
Job once possessed all those things, the 
loss of w r hich afflicted him ; and enjoyed 
that health and soundness of flesh, the 
want of which he deplored. The evils 
we lament are but an abatement of the 
good we receive : therefore it is right 
we should be always resigned and thank- 
ful. We have more health than sick- 
ness, more pleasure than pain ; we re- 
ceive more good than evil. A variety 
of enjoyments are so common as to be 
little thought of; years of health and 
ease, of personal and social comfort, of 
sober happiness, are ungratefully for- 
gotten ; while hours of pain and suffer- 
ing are long remembered. In the deep- 
est affliction, man is still in possession 
of much good ; and God hath given 
him hope to cheer and animate him in 
the darkest seasons. Much of the evil 
man feels, he creates to himself, by his 
unreasonable desires, and improper 
views and sentiments. 



96 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 



4. Strictly speaking, nothing is evil as 
it comes from the hand of God. We 
call it evil because it occasions us pain 
and suffering; but as it proceeds from 
infinite wisdom and goodness, and is de- 
signed to answer a good purpose, and 
be subservient to happiness, it is good. 
Under the government of God there can 
be no absolute evil ; absolute evil can 
neither proceed from, nor be suffered 
to exist by an almighty Being, who is 
purely and perfectly good. Evil is par- 
tial and temporary ; its extent is limited; 
it had a beginning, and will end in uni- 
versal happiness. God hath permitted 
no suffering but what he can, and we 
may conclude from his known character, 
will, make subservient to enjoyment. — 
Afflictions make the heart soft, and pre- 
pare the soul for instruction ; they teach 
sympathy and teader-heartedness to- 
wards others ; they lead us to place 
more entire dependence on God, and to 
obey him more perfectly. 

The Psalmist said, Before I teas 
afflicted I went astray, but now I take 
heed to thy ivord. Jesus Christ learned 
obedience by the things which he suffered. 
It is for their profit God afflicts his ser- 
vants. My sou, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint ivhen 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 97 



thou art rebuked of him : for whom the 
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scour geth 
every son whom he receiveth. If ye en- 
dure chastening, God dealeth with you 
as with sons ; for what son is he whom 
the father chasteneth not ? But if ye 
be without chastisement, ivhereof all are 
partakers, then are ye bastards and riot 
sons. Furthermore we have had fathers 
of the flesh ivhich corrected us, and ive 
gave them reverence ; shall we not much 
rather be in subjection unto the father of 
spirits and live ? For they verily for a 
few days chastened us after their own 
pleasure ; but he for our profit, that ice 
might be partakers of fm holiness. Noiv 
no chastening for the present seemeth 
joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless, after- 
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of 
righteousness unto them which are exer- 
cised thereby. All evil as it conies from 
the hand of God, is fatherly chastise- 
ment ; for he is the father of all ; and 
does every thing as a father. He does 
not afflict wittingly nor grieve the chil- 
dren of men. Seeing God hath given 
us so much good, and that the evil he 
calls us to endure comes from his gra- 
cious hand ; that he has no pleasure in 
our p^Jns and sufferings, but subjects 
us to them because they are necessary 
i 



98 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD, 

for our good ; ought we not to be per- 
fectly resigned to his will, and to accept 
the evil he is pleased to allot to us ? 

5. Observation and experience may 
teach us that, in many instances, God 
hath made evil productive of good; of 
this the scriptures furnish striking ex- 
amples : I shall now select two or three 
of them. The case of Job is before us : 
the evil which came upon him was ex- 
ceedingly great, no means of deliverance 
appeared, those who should have com- 
forted him, misjudging his case, loaded 
him with reproaches: the good man 
held fast his integrity and confidence in 
God : in due time he was delivered 
from all his troubles, he came forth 
from the furnace of affliction purified 
like gold, and all his sufferings termi- 
nated in increased prosperity and happi- 
ness. 

In the history of Jacob's family we 
have clear proof of evil being made pro- 
ductive of good, of events the most 
painful and distressing being made 
highly beneficial, not only to the parties 
concerned, but to multitudes of people. 
When Jacob's sous who had cruelly con- 
spired against the life of their brother, 
and being diverted from their purpose 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 99 



had sold him into slavery, came to their 
father, and presented his coat besmeared 
with blood, saying, This have ice found: 
know now whether it be thy Sons coat, 
or no : his heart was filled with anguish, 
and he said. It is my sons coat; an evil 
beast hath devoured him. Joseph is with- 
out doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob 
rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon 
his loins, and mourned for his son many 
days. When Simeon was detained in 
Egypt, and his sons urged the necessity 
of their younger brother, Benjamin, ac- 
companying them to that country, the 
good old man's wounds were opened 
afresh; and he said, Me haveye bereaved 
of my children ; Joseph is not, and Si- 
meon is not, and ye will take Benjanmi 
away ; all these things are against me.— 
My son shall nnt go down with you ; for 
his brother is dead, and he is left alone : 
if mischief befal him in the way in the 
which ye go, men shall ye bring down 
my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. 
This was the language of a mind pierced 
with sorrow, and rilled with painful ap- 
prehension ; yet what Jacob so much 
lamented was w r orking for his good, and 
leading on to an issue that made his 
heart overflow with joy. So little do 
we perceive of the good God is effecting 



100 EVIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD,, 

by events to us the most painful and 
distressing. When Joseph was sold by 
his unfeeling brethren into the hands of 
strangers, and carried a slaveinto Egypt, 
when in that country his virtue seemed 
only to expose him to reproach and ca- 
lamity, what must his feelings have been ! 
With what anguish would he think of 
his affectionate father, whom he could 
no more hope to see ; of the cruelty of 
his brethren; of the injustice of the 
treatment he received ! Every thing 
seemed to be against him, and all per- 
sons he had any concern with, to con- 
spire against his happiness : yet all 
things were working for his good ; and 
God made the evil which befel him pro- 
ductive of the greatest advantage to 
him, to his father's house, and to man- 
kind around. In due time the thick 
clouds of adversity were dispersed, and 
joy and prosperity crowned his days. 

One case more I will mention, it is 
that of our Lord Jesus Christ. He 
was loaded with the foulest reproach, 
and subjected to the most dreadful suf- 
ferings. His death was the most cruel 
and barbarous of murders : yet it was 
the means of his attaining the highest 
honor, dignity, and glory ; and God 
hath made his sufferings and death a 



AND MADE SUBSERVIENT TO GOOD. 101 

universal benefit. Those things ivhieh 
God before had showed by the month of 
all his prophets, that Christ should siiffer, 
he hath so fulfilled. Thus the new co- 
venant was confirmed, and salvation 
and eternal life were assured to men. 
Thus we see the greatest of evils made 
productive of the greatest good ; for 
what could be more evil than the bar- 
barous murder of so righteous a person' 
as Jesus Christ; and what event has 
ever been made a greater benefit to the 
world ? 

6. As God hath made some of the 
greatest evils productive of good, it is 
rational to conclude that he will make 
all evil subservient to and productive 
of good. This conclusion naturally 
arises from just views of his character, 
perfections, and government. If all 
things are governed by an almighty 
Being, who is, infinitely wise and good ; 
and no evil can exist without his know- 
ledge and permission ; surely it must 
all issue in, and be made conducive to 
good. The declarations of scripture, 
that the wrath of man shall praise him, 
that all things are to him, as well as of 
him, and by him, strengthen this con- 
clusion. 



102 ETIL FROM THE HAND OF GOD* 



These considerations, that evil as welt 
as good comes from the hand of God, 
that he suffers no more evil to take 
place than is necessary, that goodness 
preponderates, that there is no absolute 
evil, and that be will make all evil pro- 
ductive of good; are sufficient to re- 
concile us to all the ways of providence, 
and to teach us to receive evil at the 
hand of God as well as good. 

Let us learn then, to look above crea- 
tures, through all second causes; to 
see God in all things, and all in God. 
Let us be always resigned to his will, 
put our whole confidence in him, and 
be entirely devoted to him. Let us 
look forward to the happy time when 
evil shall be no more ; but life and 
peace, and joy, and happiness, shall be 
universal and eternal. 



DISCOURSE V 



JESUS MADE BOTH LORD AND CHRIST. 

—0+0*0 — 

ACTS ii, 36. 

Therefore let all the house of Israel 
knoiv assuredly, that God hath made 
that same Jesus, ivhom ye have cruci- 
fied, both JLord and Christ. 

Christianity is built upon facts, which 
were testified by eye witnesses, at the 
risk of their reputation, of every worldly 
enjoyment, of their liberty, and even of 
their lives. Respecting these facts they 
could not be mistaken; because they 
were eye witnesses ; and their unwea- 
ried labors and patient sufferings, in 
making them known, furnish sufficient 
proof of their integrity ; that they them- 
selves believed the facts they testified. 



104 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

The Jewish people, with their rulers, 
had rejected Jesus of Nazareth as an 
impostor, condemned him as a blasphe- 
mer, and put him to death as a common 
malefactor, with every mark of igno- 
miny and contempt. Shortly after these 
things had taken place, the Apostles 
appeared in public, and in the face of 
prejudice and of power, of the most 
formidable and determined opposition, 
plainly and positively asserted that this 
very Jesus, who had been thus vilely 
treated, was the Messiah promised to 
their fathers, and that God had made 
him both Lord and Christ. 

The fact stated in our text is at the 
foundation of Christianity, and is ca- 
pable of bearing the whole weight of it. 
The words are not a mere bold and po- 
sitive assertion ; but a just and rational 
conclusion from the premises laid down 
in the preceding discourse, which the 
Apostle addressed to a multitude of 
Jews and Jewish proselytes. In the 
preceding discourse he brings forward 
various proofs, by which the conclusion 
in our text is established. 

L He mentions the miracles, and 
wonders, and signs, which God wrought 
by, and in behalf of, his son Jesus, (see 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 105 

the 22nd verse.) Ye men of Israel, hear 
these words ; Jesus of Nazareth, a man 
approved of God among you by miracles, 
and wonders, arid signs, ivhich God did 
by him in the midst of you, as ye your- 
selves also know. With all the confi- 
dence of conscious integrity and truth, 
he appealed tothe knowledge his hearers 
had of the miraculous works, which 
proved that Jesus was sent of God ; 
and he was not contradicted. 

2. He show s, that several prophecies 
in the Old Testament had been accom- 
plished in the person, death, and resur- 
rection of Jesus ; and in the gifts of the 
spirit communicated to his Apostles; 
which accomplishment of prophecy 
proves him to be the Messiah. 

3. He insists on the resurrection of 
Jesus from the dead, as a clear evidence 
of his being the Christ ; of which, saith 
he, we all are witnesses. 

4. He directs the attention of his 
hearers to the miraculous gifts they had 
seen that day exercised, referring these 
to the exaltation of the crucified Jesus: 
his words are, Therefore, being by the 
right hand of God exalted, and having 



106 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

received of the father the promise of the 
Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this 
which ye both see and hear. Thus the 
Apostle acted the part, not of a mere 
dogmatist, nor of a wild enthusiast, 
but of a rational advocate for truth ; and 
by sober reasoning and solid proof 
showed that Jesus is both Lord and 
Christ. 

First, / shall attempt to show what is 
meant hy his being Lord and Christ. 

Secondly, Shall insist on what the text 
plainly readies ; that what Jesus Christ 
is, God hath made him. 

Thirdly, Shall point out how the Apos- 
tle describes and distinguishes ike per- 
son, whom he declares to be made Lo/d 
and Christ. 

First, I attempt to show what is meant 
by Jesus being Lord and Christ. 

That he is both Lord and Christ, 
christians of ail parties fully admit. 
This may be called their common faith, 
their universal creed ; and on the ground 
of it they ought to treat each other as 
brethren. They differ however, in their 
views of the import of the names Lord 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST, 107 

and Christ, and the inferences they 
make from their being applied to Jesus : 
nor are mistakes respecting this subject 
unimportant ; they will materially affect 
our views of the christian doctrine. 

The word Lord is not a proper name ; 
it is not expressive of any particular 
nature, or kind of being ; nor does it 
at all describe the person, abstractly, to 
whom it is applied. It is simply a title 
of rank and dignity ; and at most only 
expresses power and dominion. This 
title belongs, in the highest and most 
absolute sense, to the great God him- 
self, who is the supreme Lord of the 
universe, whose power is unbounded, 
and whose dominion is eternal. It may 
be applicable to a being who is inferior 
in nature to God, but superior in nature 
to man; whether, in the scriptures it 
ever be so applied, is not our present 
inquiry. It may, strictly and properly, 
be applied to one of the human race, 
to one who, in his person, is no more 
than man. It is well known to be a 
title frequently given to men of rank 
and power ; and is never supposed to 
imply that they are more than human; 
that in their persons they are any thing 
but mere men. 

This title, as given to Jesus of Naza- 



108 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

reth, defines not his person, ascribes 
not to him a super-human, much less a 
properly divine nature ; hut simply ex- 
presses the high rank, and dignity, and 
power, to which God hath raised him. 

1. He is Lord, as God hath placed 
him in the highest rank, hath made him 
the first-born among many brethren ; 
the first-born the highest, of every crea- 
ture ; hath placed him at the head of 
the christian dispensation, and given 
him to be the head over all things to 
the church ; the head of every man. 

2. Jesus is Lord, as God hath raised 
him to the highest dignity ; made him 
so much better than the other messen- 
gers, as he hath inherited a more excel- 
lent name than they; and anointed him 
above his fellows, having exalted him at 
his own right hand as a Prince and a 
Savior. 

3. He is Lord, as God hath invested 
him with the most extensive authority, 
hath given him a name which is above 
every name that is named ; that in the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
and every tongue confess that he is 
Lord, to the glory of God, the Father. 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 109 

God hath made him Lord of all, appoint- 
ed him heir of all things, and will give 
him the heathen for his inheritance, and 
the uttermost parts of the earth for his 
possession. 

4. This title, as given to Jesus, not 
only implies his authority in the chris- 
tian church, and the obedience his fol- 
lowers owe to him ; it also anticipates 
his future universal empire and domi- 
nion ; as a prophet foretold, that of the 
increase of his government and peace 
there shall be no end : and Paul de- 
clares, that he must reign until all ene- 
mies be put under his feet, and all 
things be made subject unto him. — 
Thus Jesus is Lord. 

The word Christ is no more a proper 
name — it is no more expressive of a par- 
ticular nature, than the word Lord. It 
is simply an appellative, a relative name ; 
it is the official name of Jesus. In the 
original of the New Testament, though 
this does not so fully appear in the 
translation, the article is generally pre- 
fixed to the word Christ ; and it reads, 
not simply Christ, hut the Christ. This 
shows it more plainly to be a name of 
office simply: as we say the king, the 

K 



J 10 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

chancellor, the judge ; and not simply 
king, chancellor, judge, unless we add 
the proper name of the person to his 
official title. The name Christ means 
precisely the same as the word Messiah 
in the Old Testament. Messiah is li- 
terally a Hebrew word ; Christ is de- 
rived from the Greek ; both these words 
mean anointed. This is their literal 
specific, and full meaning. When Jesus 
is called the Christ, the meaning is sim- 
ply, that he is the anointed. It follows, 
that this name cannot prove that in his 
person he is more than man. 

The w ord Messiah originated, or came 
into use among the ancient Hebrews, 
from the following circumstance. By 
the direction of Jehovah, their High 
Priests, their Kings, and some of their 
Prophets, were anointed with oil, or 
with a precious ointment, as an induc- 
tion to their several offices : hence they 
were called the Lord's anointed, in the 
Hebrew, his Messiahs. So Jehovah 
said bv one of his messengers, 1 ouch 
not mine anointed; Heb. my Messiahs, 
Greek, my Christ s : who the persons 
spoken of were, appears from the fol- 
lowing clause, Do my prophets no harm. 
Tn the old Testament the word is also 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. Ill 



used figuratively, and applied to a per- 
son, who was neither anointed by di- 
vine direction, nor appointed to any of- 
fice among God's people. In Isa. xlv, 1, 
we read, Thus saith Jehovah to his 
anointed, to Cyrus: Heb. to his Messiah. 
In this place, Cyrus, king of Persia, is 
called God's Messiah, his Christ, though 
he knew not the true God ; he is so 
called, because God appointed him to 
execute his judgments on the Babyloni- 
ans, to free his captive people, that they 
might be reinstated in their own land, 
and the worship of the true God be re- 
established among them. 

It ought to be remembered, that the 
Apostles were Jews; that consequently 
they used words which were common 
in their nation; and that many of their 
expressions can be understood only by 
a reference to the use of such terms in 
the old Testament. Keeping in view 
the established meaning of the words 
Messiah and Christ among the ancient 
Jews, we shall understand the more rea- 
dily, what is meant by Jesus being the 
Christ 

1. He is the Christ, as God raised 
him up, and appointed him to the most 
important and glorious work ; to be the 



112 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

teacher and savior of men ; to reveal 
the new covenant, and confirm it by his 
death ; to bring life and immortality to 
light; to prepare his followers for, and 
conduct them to, everlasting life and 
happiness. 

2. Jesus is the Christ, as God anoint- 
ed him. Though no messenger of God 
was sent to anoint him with oil, or with 
precious ointment, as an induction to 
his high office ; though he was not li- 
terally so anointed ; his God and father 
gave him a higher anointing. An Apos- 
tle saith, God anointed Jesus of Naza- 
reth with the Holy Spirit and with power. 

3. He is called the Christ on ac- 
count of his offices. Were the Jewish 
high priests anointed ? Jesus is the 
Apostle and high priest of our profes- 
sion. Were their prophets anointed ? 
He is the prophet like unto Moses, in 
whose mouth God hath put his words, 
by whom he hath spoken to us in these 
last days. Were their kings anointed ? 
He is Jehovah's King, whom he hath 
seated on his holy hill of Zion. He is 
King of kings, and Lord of lords. 

4. He is the Christ in reference to his 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 113 

exaltation. The writer of the Epistle 
to the Hebrews applies to him a passage 
in the forty fifth Psalm. The words are, 
Thou least loved righteousness and hated 
iniquity ; therefore God, even thy God 9 
hath anointed thee with the oil of glad- 
ness above thy fellows : thy companions, 
his other messengers. 

Thus the person whose proper name 
was Jesus, and who was called Jesus 
of Nazareth, to distinguish him from 
other persons who were called by the 
same name ; (Jesus being no uncommon 
name among the Jews, as may be seen 
by consulting the writings of Josephus,) 
this very person is Lord, on account of 
the high rank, dignity, and power, to 
w hich God hath raised him ; and Christ, 
on account of his office and work, and 
the divine gifts and powers which God 
hath given him, to qualify him for that 
office and work. 

Secondly. / proceed to show, that 
whatever our Lord Jesus Christ is> 
God hath made him. 

Our present inquiry relates neither to 
the greatnesss, nor the extensiveness, of 
the powers of Jesus Christ. However 
great and extensive his powers may be,, 
k 2 



114 Jesus made lord and Christ* 

unless they can be shown to be un de- 
rived, that he received them not from the 
father, they furnish no proof that he is 
God. 

There is an essential difference be- 
tween derived and* underived power. 
No being can be truly God, but he who 
possesses all power, fulness, and per- 
fection, without derivation, in, and of, 
himself. If, then, it can be proved that 
Jesus Christ received every thing from 
the father; that whatever lie is, God 
hath made him ; it will follow that he 
is not God. On this point the declara- 
tions of Jesus and his Apostles are quite 
decisive. 

He uniformly ascribed all things to 
his father, and never claimed any thing 
to himself, independently of him. His 
very life he ascribed to God ; he said, 
The living father hath sent me, and I 
live by the father. The life he had to 
communicate, he declared, was given 
him. As the father hath life in himself 
even so hath he given to the son to have 
life in himself He pretended not to 
have any life but what he had received. 
He explicitly avowed that he received 
his mission and authority from God. 
1 am not come in my own name, but the 
father sent me* He gave me command- 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 115 



ment what I should say, and what I 
should teach. When he spoke of laying 
down his life, and of receiving it again ; 
he added, This commandment received 
I of my father. When he spoke of 
himself as the judge of men, he said, 
The father judgeth no man, but hath 
committed all judgment to the son : — and 
hath given him authority to execute judg- 
ment, because he is the son of man : which 
shows that he had no such authority till 
he received it. To God he ascribed the 
divine qualifications, the fulness of the 
spirit, which he possessed, and by which 
he was enabled to execute his mission. 
He said, The spirit of the Lord is upon 
me, because the Lord hath anointed me : 
which words prove that he had not the 
divine spirit until God communicated 
it to him. He, also, plainly declared 
that he received his doctrine from his 
heavenly father. He said, My doctrine 
is not mine, but his that sent me. To 
God he ascribed all his extraordinary 
powers and mighty works. I can, said 
he of mine ownselj, do nothing : — The 
son can do nothing of himself. — The 
father that divelleth in me, he doeth the 
marks. He avowed that he had received 
all that he possessed : All things are de- 
livered to me of my father : and to God 



116 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

he looked for every thing which he 
hoped to attain. He said, Father glorify 
thy son, that thy son also may glorify 
thee. He told his disciples plainly, My 
father is greater than I: and showed 
his dependence on God, by praying to 
him, by trusting in him, by offering to 
him devout thanksgiving, and by, uni- 
form \y, obeying his commands. 

The Apostles, after his resurrection 
and exaltation, continued to speak in 
the same strain as he had done; they 
always ascribed the doctrine, mighty 
works, and high attainments, of their 
beloved Master, to God, and declared 
that God had made him all that he is, 
Did they testify his resurrection ; they 
said, God raised him from the dead. 
Did they speak of his exaltation; they 
said, God also hath highly exalted him. 
Did they mention his being glorified ; 
they said, God hath glorified his son 
Jesus. Did they preach him as a sa- 
vior; they said, God hath raised unto 
Israel a Savior. — Him hath God ex- 
alted with his right hand, to be a Prince 
and a Savior. Did they, as in our 
text, declare him to be both Lord and 
Christ; they said, God hath made him 
both Lord and Cnrist. Did they speak 
of him as judge of the world ; they said, 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 1 17 



God hath appointed a day in the which 
he will judge the world in righteousness, 
by that man whom he hath ordained; 
whereof he hath given assurance to all 
men, in that he raised him from the dead. 
Did they assert that all fulness dwells 
in him ; they said, It pleased the father 
that in him should all julness dwell.— 
Did they teach that the world is recon- 
ciled to God by him ; they said, God 
was in Christ reconciling the ivorld unto 
himself Whatever they represented 
him as being to men, they said he was 
made of God ; if they said he is our 
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption ; they said, Who is 
made of God unto us wisdom, righteous- 
ness, sanctification, and redemption. In 
brief, all things which are by Jesus 
Christ, they declared to be of God, 
This is merely a glance at the language 
of Jesus and his Apostles, in reference 
to the point we are considering: but it 
is sufficient to show that both he and 
they expressed themselves in such terms 
as unequivocally prove that he received 
all things from God, and that whatever 
he is, God hath made him. 



118 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

Thirdly, / shall point out how the 
Apostle describes, and distinguishes, 
the person, whom he declares to be made 
both Lord and Christ. 

He could not have done this with 
greater precision, had he anticipated 
the discordant opinions which have 
since prevailed respecting the person of 
Christ. Were the plain declarations of 
the Apostle more carefully attended to, 
and more steadily regarded, they would 
set the minds of many persons more at 
ea^e on this subject. 

The Apostle declares, that the person 
he speaks of, was made both Lord and 
Christ. This proves that whatever else 
he w as, he could not be truly God. The 
word made can never be applicable to 
God; for whatever he is, he must be self- 
existent: what God is, he alwavs was, 
and must eternally remain : and, in the 
nature of things, he who is made what 
he is, cannot be God. Had Jesus been 
God, how could he have been made 
either Lord or Christ? God could not 
be made Lord ; for he who is made Lord, 
was not always Lord, he was not Lord 
till he was made such ; had he been 
always Lord, there could never have 
been a time when he was made Lord ; 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 119 

but he who is truly God, was always 
the supreme and universal Lord: had 
Christ been God, he must always have 
been this supreme and universal Lord ; 
of course, there could never have been 
a time when he was made Lord ; but 
the Apostle positively asserts that he 
was made Lord, and distinguishes him 
from God, by whom he was made Lord. 
A being' who is properly God, could not 
be made Christ ; for we have shown 
that the word Christ means one anointed ; 
the Christ of God, the anointed of God ; 
but who should anoint God Almighty, 
give him a divine mission, and endow 
him with qualifications to execute it? 

We are informed both in the text and 
the context, who the person -is, that God 
hath made both Lord and Christ. Look 
at the twenty-second verse, and remem- 
ber, it contains the words of an Apostle 
when preaching the gospel, with the 
Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, He 
says, Ye men of Israel hear these ivords, 
Jesus of Nazareth, — what does he then 
add ? a God ? — No : he could have used 
that expression, but he did not; Why 
did he not ? Would he not have used it 
had he thought the person he was speak- 
ing of the only true God? Does he add, 
a god-man ? No: the phrase god-man is 



120 JESUS MADE LORD AMD CHRIST. 

not to be found ill the scriptures, it was 
not invented till after the times of the 
Apostles. Hear what he says; his 
words need no comment. Jesus of Na- 
zareth, a man approved of God. — Such 
is the language of the Apostle, when 
describing the person of his Master. 
Will you dispute the propriety of it 
with him? Did he not know what lan- 
guage was most proper to describe the 
person of whom he was speaking? Again, 
look at the thirtieth verse: speaking of 
David, the Apostle says, Being a pro- 
phet, and knowing that God had sworn 
ivith an oath to him, that of the fruit of 
his loins, according to the flesh, he would 
raise up Christ to sit on his throne. 

This language is remarkably strong, 
and, remember, it is the language of an 
Apostle when preaching the gospel with 
the Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven. 
He here alleges the solemn oath of the 
Great God himself, in attestation of the 
important fact, that the person who is 
made Lord and Christ, is one of David's 
descendants ; consequently, simply a 
human being; yea, so literally and le- 
gally descended from David, as to be 
the legal heir to his throne. 

In the text itself, the Apostle shows, 
that the person, who is made both Lord 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 121 

and Christ, is the very man whom the 
Jews crucified. That same Jesus whom 
ye have crucified. As if he had pointed 
to Calvary, to the cross, to Jesus hang- 
ing on the cross ; that same Jesus, saith 
he, the man whom ye slew by hanging 
him upon a tree. Whatever may have 
been said formerly by learned and good 
men, no person of much information 
will now venture to assert that God 
either did or could die : it is now ge- 
nerally admitted that the human nature 
only suffered, that it was man only that 
died : but it ought to be remembered 
that the real Christ both could and 
did die : and the Apostles preached no 
Christ, but the crucified man of Naza- 
reth : it was in his name that they pub- 
lished salvation and eternal life to men. 

From the whole of this subject* a few 
important inferences will arise. 

I. If it be acknowledged that Jesus 
is the Christ, the divinely commissioned, 
divinely empowered messenger of God ; 
the divine origin and authority of the 
gospel are established. On this found- 
ation the whole of Christianity rests. 
If Jesus be the Christ, his doctrine is 
divine, his precepts are the commands 
of God, his promises, and the immortal 

L 



122 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

hope he revealed, have all the divine 
perfections to support and realize them, 

2. If Jesus be Lord, we ought to obey 
him ; not merely to profess his gospel, 
but to conform to it in our tempers and 
our lives. Remember the solemn words, 
Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not 
the things which I say ? Not every one 
that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he 
that doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven. Again. If Jesus be the 
only Lord of christians ; in matters of 
faith and conscience, we ought to ac- 
knowledge none other : our allegiance 
to him requires that we should resist 
every attempt to exercise dominion over 
the faith and consciences of men ; faith- 
fully adhere to, and steadily obey our 
convictions of truth and duty; and ne- 
ver dare to invade the prerogative of 
our great Master, by attempting to ex- 
ercise religious domination. If he be 
our common Lord, then all we are 
brethren and fellow servants; and we 
ought to love one another as brethren, 
and be anxious who shall best serve our 
beloved Master. 



3. If the crucified man of Nazarpth 



JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 123 

be both Lord and Christ, we should be 
careful not to transfer to any other being, 
either real or imaginary, the honors 
which are his due. Too long have 
christians given the honors which belong 
to the real Christ, and even those which 
belong to God, to an ideal and imagi- 
nary being, first conceived of by those 
early corrupters of the christian doc- 
trine, known in ecclesiastical history by 
the name of Gnostics ; and established 
in the vain imaginations, and erroneous 
creeds of men, in the succeeding ages 
of darkness and superstition. Let us 
be zealous to reclaim for the real Christ, 
the man who died for us on Calvarv, the 
scriptural honors which belong to him, 
which God hath given him as the re- 
ward of his obedience. 

Finally. If God hath made Jesus 
Lord and Christ, he will support his 
throne, and extend his kingdom, till all 
his enemies be put under his feet, and 
his dominion become universal. Though 
the doctrine of the cross, of a crucified 
man being Lord and Christ, was, to the 
Jews, who were looking for a Messiah 
to appear with worldly pomp and splen- 
dor, a stumbling block ; and to the 
Greeks foolishness, those Greeks who 



124 JESUS MADE LORD AND CHRIST. 

thought nothing wisdom in religion, but 
what was too mysterious to be under- 
stood ; and though many still despise 
this doctrine on account of its simpli- 
city ; an Apostle hath declared it to be 
the wisdom of God, and the power of 
God ; and it will continue to spread 
and conquer, until it shall universally 
prevail and triumph ; till the language 
of those who hailed the approach of 
Jesus to the metropolis of Judea shall 
dwell on every tongue ; Hosanna to the 
Son of David, Messed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord. 



DISCOURSE VI. 



JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHER 
PROPHETS. 

—0*0+0 

MATT, viii, 27. 

JBut the men marvelled, saying, what 
manner of man is this, that even the 
ivinds and the sea obey him ? 

Jesus, having withdrawn from the mul- 
titude, and entered into a ship, was 
followed by his disciples. There he 
sought that repose and rest, which the 
wearied powers of nature required. 
Whilst he slept, there arose a great tem- 
pest in the sea ; insomuch that the ship 
was covered with the waves. The dis- 
ciples were greatly alarmed, they ap- 
prehended impending destruction : filled 
with terror, they came to him saying, 
Lord, save us ; we perish. After gently 
reproving them for their want of faith ? 



126 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



he arose, and rebuked the winds and 
the sea; and there was a great calm. 
The elements obeyed his voice ; the 
sea became smooth, and the boisterous 
winds were hushed at his command. 
The disciples who witnessed this extra- 
ordinary scene, marvelled ; saying, 
What maimer of man is this, that even 
the winds and the sea obey him! 

* However astonished at the wonderful 
miracles which Jesus performed, the 
Apostles still called him a man, and 
attributed his mighty works to him as 
a man: they seem never to have been 
led, by even his most splendid acts of 
power, to think he was in his person 
more than man. They thought, as, in- 
deed, they might well think, that he 
was a most extraordinary man. What 
manner oj man is tins? They consi- 
dered the power by which the miracles 
were wrought, as coming from God; 
but the agent by whom this power ope- 
rated, as a human being. The people 
glorified God who had given such power 
to man. The power of God was suffi- 
cient for the performance of all these 
supernatural works by the agency of a 
man. Had the miracles of our Lord 
proved his deity, the miracles of the 
Apostles would have proved their deity ; 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 



127 



tor he said to them ; Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, he that believeth on me, 
the works that I do, shall he do also ; 
and greater works than these shall he do ; 
because I go unto my father. If the 
miracles of the Apostles did not prove 
them to be more than men ; neither did 
the miracles of Jesus prove him to be 
more than a man. 

When we assert that Jesus Christ was 
in his person simply a man, which the 
scriptures plainly teach, it is supposed 
by many that we degrade him to a level 
with ourselves, and represent him as 
being only a common man, or no more 
than any other prophet ; but this sup- 
position is unfounded and erroneous: 
we believe him to be greatly superior 
to all other men, and all other prophets. 
To show that he is superior to all other 
men, to all other prophets, to all the ser- 
vants, messengers, and sons of God, is 
the object of this Discourse. 

1, Though a man, he is the Messiah. 
This is the highest office to which God 
hath raised any of his servants ; to this 
office belong the most extraordinary 
powers ; and, as the Messiah, Jesus w as 
called to perform the most difficult, im- 
portant, and glorious work. In his 



128 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



office, authority, divine powers, and 
work, he is superior to all other men. 
Though the name Messiah is given to 
other persons in the old Testament, He 
only is the spiritual Messiah, the Mes- 
siah of the new Testament. In this office 
he hath neither predecessor nor succes- 
sor: it belongs, entirely to him, and is 
executed solely by him. He is anointed 
above his fellows, and is made head 
over all, 

2. God never gave to any other man 
such extraordinary gifts and powers as 
he gave to Jesus Christ : these his pecu- 
liar office and work rendered necessary. 
God anointed him with the holy Spirit 
and with power, delivered all things in- 
to his hand, and gave him authority 
over all flesh. The Spirit is not given 
by measure unto him ; for it hath plea- 
sed the Father that in him should all 
fulness dwell. As in his office, so also 
with respect to his gifts and powers, he 
is superior to all others ; for God hath 
appointed him heir of all things, and he 
is the only begotten, or well beloved, of 
the Father; full of grace and truth. It 
is as man he is endowed with all these 
superior gifts and powers; had he been 
God, it could not have been necessary 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 129 



for him to have received these gifts and 
powers of the Father. 

3. As Jesus has a superior office and 
superior powers to any other man, so 
never was any other called to so impor- 
tant and glorious a work. To him it 
belonged to reveal the truth and grace 
of God to men ; to communicate the 
new covenant with all its privileges and 
blessings, and to confirm and establish 
it by his death ; to show vis plainly of 
the Father, open his eternal counsels 
and designs, and make known his good, 
perfect, and acceptable will ; to bring 
life and immortality to light, and dis- 
pense to all men the free gift which is 
unto justification of life ; to be the Sa- 
vior of the world, to reconcile all to 
God, by placing them under the dispen- 
sation of the gospel. The whole of this 
great work belongs peculiarly to Christ; 
all others who acted in it were chosen 
and appointed by him, and acted under 
him: he said to the Apostles, Ye have 
not chosen me ; but I have chosen you, 
and ordained you, that ye should go and 
bring forth fruit, and that your jruit 
should remain. He hath done for the 
world what no other man ever did, or 
3^ad authority to do: and it is because 



ISO JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



he is the Messiah, that all he taught, 
did and suffered, is of such high au- 
thority, such vast importance, and uni- 
versal interest to mankind. 

4. He is superior to all the messen- 
gers of God who preceded him. Jesus 
said, Verily, verily I say unto you. 
Among them that are born of women, 
there hath not risen a greater than John 
the Baptist. This was placing John 
upon au equality with the most distin- 
guished of the prophets and servants of 
God under the former dispensation. Yet 
John said of Jesus, There cometh one 
after me, mightier than I> the latchet of 
ivhose shoes I am not worthy to stoop 
down and unloose. He that cometh af- 
ter me is preferred before me. As Jesus 
was superior to John the Baptist, who 
was only his forerunner, and John was 
equal to the most eminent of the prece- 
ding prophets ; it follows that he was 
as much superior to them, as he was to 
John. Their office and ministrations 
were subordinate and introductory to 
his office and ministry ; the dispensation 
under which they acted was a prelude 
to the more perfect dispensation which 
he introduced, and at the head of which 
he presides. He is made so much bet- 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS, 



131 



ter than all the former messengers, as he 
hath, by inheritance, obtained a more 
excellent name than they. He obtained 
a more excellent ministry, by how much, 
also, he is the mediator, of a better 
covenant, which was established upon 
better promises. 

5. As Jesus is superior to all the for- 
mer prophets, so he is placed above, 
and presides at the head of all the mes- 
sengers and servants of God under the 
christian dispensation. He is the head 
of the body, the church. The Apostles 
were his witnesses, and received their 
office, authority, and work from him: 
They were his servants, and he their 
Lord. When he ascended up on high, 
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts 
unto men. And he gave some, apostles; 
and sor.ie, prophets; and some, evange- 
lists; and some, pastors and teachers; for 
the perfecting of the saints, jor the work 
of the ministry, for the edifying of the 
body of Christ ; till ice all come in the 
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge 
of the Son oj God, unto a -perfect man, 
unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ. Hence, When he bring- 
eth in the First-begotten into the world, 
he saith, And let all the angels of God 



232 



JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



worship him, Or, as the words are 
more properly translated by Wake- 
field, When it ^the scripture) introduc- 
eth the first-born into his dispensation, 
it saith ; And let all the messengers of 
God pay homag e to him. Angels mean 
messengers ; the word worship signifies 
any kind of homage, or subjection, and 
not, necessarily, divine worship, which 
can belong to God only. The reference 
seems to be, to the introduction of 
Christ, to his proper office as head of 
the christian dispensation ; and to all 
others being placed under him. 

6. The Messiah, though a man, was 
a divinely commissioned man ; one who 
was raised up and sent of God, who 
spoke and acted by divine authority. 
He did not come in his own name ; he 
neither taught nor acted merely from 
the dictates of his own mind ; but was 
a divine messenger, and had full au- 
thority from God to teach and act as he 
did: God gave him commandment 
what he should say, and what he should 
teach. The people were astonished at 
his doctrine : for he taught them as one 
having authority, and not as the Scribes : 
that is, as one fully conscious of a di- 
vine mission. Had they thought him 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS'. 133 

more than human, the tone of superior 
authority which appeared in his teach- 
ing would not have so much surprised 
them ; but that a poor man, who had 
been brought up in obscurity, and who 
appeared in such mean circumstances, 
should discover such a consciousness 
of superior authority as the scribes 
could not assume, was truly astonish- 
ing ; and it can be accounted for only 
by admitting his divine mission. The 
belief that Jesus was raised up and 
sent of God, that he spoke and acted 
by divine authority ; establishes the di- 
vine origin and truth of Christianity, and 
places it on as high a ground as it would 
have stood, had he himself been God ; 
for even in that case his authority could 
not have been more than divine. As 
divinely commissioned, he was God's 
agent in revealing and confirming the 
gospel. 

7. Though a man, he was a divinely 
inspired man. He had not to acquire 
his information, respecting the things to 
which his mission related, merely from 
reading and study, nor to learn them 
from the teaching of others; but was 
favored with divine communications, 
and received the knowledge of these 



134 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



things from God. In the figurative 
sense in which the word heaven is used 
in the gospel, though the son of man, 
he ascended up into heaven, came down 
from heaven, and was in heaven ; his 
mind was raised to heavenly things in 
a superior manner to any other man ; he 
received his doctrine from God, and de- 
livered it by divine authority : What he 
ministered came from heaven; he pos- 
sessed the knowledge and enjoyment 
of what was heavenly ; he exercised 
heavenly gifts and powers; and executed 
a heavenly mission. He is said to be in 
the bosom of the father, on account of 
the intimate knowledge he had of the 
divine counsels and designs, the mind 
and will of God, his truth and grace, 
it is said, The father loveth the son, 
and shoiceth him all things that himself 
doeth. Jesus not only said, that the 
father had sent him, he said, I speak to 
the ivoi % ld those things which I have 
heard of him. As my father hath 
taught me, I speak these things. As he 
received his knowledge by divine com- 
munication, his gospel is the word of 
inspiration, the revelation of the divine 
^vill to men. 

8. Jesus, though a man, was invested 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 



with divine powers. God anointed him 
with the holy Spirit and with power. — 
He was a prophet, mighty in deed and 
word, before God and all the people His 
divine powers appeared in the miracles, 
and wonders, and signs, which were 
done by him. God gave him all the 
power necessary to qualify him for his 
high office, for executing his important 
mission, and for performing the great 
work committed to him. Though in his 
person simply a man, the divine mission, 
communications, and powers, which God 
gave him, raised him superior to all 
other men, and qualified him to be the 
savior and judge of the world. View 
Jesus as the Messiah, filled with divine 
knowledge, gifts and powers ; and his 
sufficiency as a savior, his authority as 
Lord, and his suitableness and ability 
as a judire, cannot be questioned, i t is 
as the Messiah, a mini anointed of God, 
that he fills all his offices, and carries on 
all his ministrations. No part of his 
work depends on his own power as a 
man ; but on the power God hath given 
him as the Christ. God, who gave him 
his mission, and appointed him his work, 
operates by him in the execution of that 
mis>ion, and the performance of that 
work So much as his office is higher 



136 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



than that of any other prophet, are the 
powers given to him superior. 

It may be said, the Apostles also had 
a divine mission, divine communications, 
and powers. This is fully granted : yet 
there are several important points of 
distinction between him and them. They 
were none of them the Messiah; nor 
had they the same mission, authority, 
and power, as God gave to his son. 
What Jesus received was immediately 
from God ; no agent was interposed be- 
tween him and his father, as the medium 
through which he received his divine 
communications and powers; but the 
Apostles did not receive their divine 
mission, communications, and powers, 
in the same immediate way from God ; 
they received them through the medium 
of Jesus Christ. The Father sent him, 
He sent them ; He received from God 
the gift of the holy Spirit, and shed it 
forth on the Apostles: The Father gave 
him commandment what he should teach ; 
they were sent to teach whatever Jesus 
commanded them. The Spirit is not 
given by measure to him ; for it hath 
pleased the father that in him should 
all fulness dwell; but the Apostles 
received it in measure. In the whole of 
their office and work they acted in sub- 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 137 



ordination to him ; were in subjection 
to him as their Lord ; out of his fulness 
received the spiritual gifts and blessings 
they enjoyed ; and were what they were, 
as Apostles, by him. 

9. Though Jesus was a man, he spoke 
the words of God. He whom God hath 
sent speaketh the ivords of God. — My 
doctrine is not mine but his that sent me. 
— He that believeth on me, believeth not 
on me, but on him that sent me. Such 
were our Lord's declarations. His doc- 
trine did not originate with himself, he 
was only the medium by which it was 
communicated. Faith did not termi- 
nate in him, but in the father who gave 
him to be the teacher and savior of 
men, in whose name he spoke and acted, 
God hath in these last days spoken unto 
us by his son. Though Jesus was the 
immediate speaker, the words were 
God's ; he was God's organ by which 
they- were communicated. In hearing 
Jesus, we hear God who hath spoken 
by him. God hath commanded us to 
hear him, because he hath put his words 
in his mouth. See that ye refuse not him 
that speaketh ; for if they escaped not 
who refused him that spake on eai tk, much 
more shall we not escape, if we lurnqivay 
M 2 



138 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



from him that speaketh from heaven. — 
As Jesus spake the words of God, his 
doctrine is eternal truth, his precepts 
are divine commands, his promises, the 
promises of the Almighty : what he re- 
vealed and taught, could not have been 
of higher authority, nor of deeper in- 
terest to mankind, had he himself been 
God. 

10. Though a man, he did the works 
of God. When the Jews sought to kill 
him for saying God was his father; 
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The son 
can do nothing of himself, but ichat he 
seeth the j at her do; for what things so- 
ever he doeth, these also doeth the son 
likewise. — For as the father raiseth up 
the dead, and quickeneth them, even so 
the son quickeneth whom he wilt, Jesus 
did the works of God, as what he did 
was by the appointment and command 
of the father, who sent him ; as it was 
done in the father's name ; and as many 
of his works could not have been done 
by a power merely human, nor by any 
power but that of God. He declared 
his inability to do such works of him- 
self ; / can, saith he, of mine oivnselj do 
nothing ; and he ascribed them to the 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 139 



father ; The father that dwelleth in me, 
he doeth the works, Jesus appealed to 
his works as the proof of his divine 
mission. The works which the father 
hath given me to finish, the same works 
that I do, bear witness of me, that the 
father hath sent me. — // I do not the 
works of my father, believe me not : but 
if 1 do, though ye believe not me, believe 
the works. 

11. Though the Messiah is a man, 
he hath all divine blessings to commu- 
nicate. If thouknetc est the gift of God, 
and who it is that saith unto thee, Give 
me to drink ; thou wouldst have asked of 
him, and he ivould have given thee living 
water. — Whosoever drinketh of the water 
that I shall give him shall never thirst ; 
but the water that I shall give him shall 
be in him a well of water springing up 
into everlasting life. This was the lan- 
guage of Jesus to the woman of Sama- 
ria ; and it shows that a fountain of life 
and enjoyment is opened to us in him. 
The God and father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, hath blessed us with all spiritual 
blessings, in heavenly things in Christ. 
In him we have salvation and eternal 
life, as the free gifts of God. In making 
known the riches of his grace by him, 



140 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



God hath abounded towards us in all 
wisdom and prudence. Such blessings 
are communicated through no other me- 
dium. They are not the less valuable, 
nor the less divine, on account of the 
Messiah, by whom they are revealed and 
dispensed, being a man. He is a far 
greater benefit to the world than any 
other prophet. 

12. Though a man, God was with 
him, and dwelt in him. Jesus said, I 
am not alone, because the father is with 
me. Believe me that I am in the fa- 
ther, and the father in me. The father 
w as in him by his spirit ; by the authori- 
ty and gifts and powers which he com- 
municated to him : he was in him as 
his agent, by whom he hath spoken to 
men, and operated in performing many 
wonderful works: he was in him as his 
image; the image of the invisible God, 
whose true character and designs Jesus 
revealed by his teaching ; whose power 
was displayed in the mighty works he 
performed, and whom he imitated and 
resembled in his pure and benevolent 
temper and conduct, as well as in his 
official acts and operations. Hence he 
said, He that hath seen me haUt seen the 
father. He did not mean, he who had 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS. 141 



merely seen his person ; but he who had 
understood his doctrine, who had con- 
sidered his mighty works, who had ob- 
served his spirit and conduct ; he who 
had done all this, had seen God reveal- 
ed and manifested, his mighty pow r er 
displayed, and his true character illus* 
trated in Jesus Christ. He had received 
the true knowledge of God. 

Though Jesus Christ is in person 
simply a man, under several important 
view f s he and the father are one. JNot 
one being. Paul who planted, and 
Apollos who watered, are declared to 
be one ; yet they were two beings ; but 
one in their work and object; and Je- 
sus prayed that all his disciples might 
be one in him and n the father, even 
as he and the father are one. Christ 
and the father are one in spirit, in tes- 
timony, in design, in operation, and in 
the care of the church : and the Apos- 
tles were one with Christ, as they had 
his spirit, the mind that was in him ; 
and were w T orkers together with him. 
All christians will become one with the 
apostles, with Christ, and with God, as 
they enter into the same views, acquire 
the same spirit, are led to pursue the 
same great ends, and act upon the same 
wise and gracious plan. That which 



142 JESUS CHRIST SUPERIOR 



we have seen and heard, declare tee unto 
you, that ye also may have fellowship 
with us: and truly our fellowship is with 
the fatlier y and with his son Jesus 
Christ. 

From the preceding statement it will 
appear, that our views of Jesus Christ 
do not degrade him to the situation of a 
common man, nor place him on a level 
merely with the other prophets. He is 
far superior to them all, in his office and 
peculiar work ; in his authority, in his 
diviue powers and communications; in 
his resemblance to God, and close union 
with him in knowledge and spirit ; and 
with respect to the divine blessings 
which come to men by him. 

No person could be so suitable to be 
the Messiah, the anointed of God, to 
act towards men as their teacher, savior, 
Lord, and judge, as one who is him- 
self a man, and capable of entering 
into their feelings. He is the most 
suitable organ of the divine will, and 
medium of the riches of divine grace 
anti mercy to the human race. Being 
thtr Messiah, and so eminently distin- 
guished with divine powers, gifts and 
blessings, he is qualified to do every 
thiqg necessary for our instruction, sal- 
vation, eternal life, and happiness. 



TO ALL OTHER PROPHETS, 143 



Let us thankfully acknowledge the 
great love and rich mercy which our 
heavenly father hath displayed towards 
us in raising up so suitable a person to 
teach and save us, to rule over and 
judge us, to conduct us to immortality 
and glory, 

As God hath raised his son Jesus 
higher than all his other prophets, and 
made him superior to all his other mes- 
sengers and servants ; let us attend di- 
ligently to the things which he taught 
and live in uniform obedience to his 
commands. He that despised Moses* 
law diedicithout mercy, under two or three 
witnesses. Of how much sorer punish- 
ment, suppose ye, shall he be thought 
tvorthy, who hath trodden underfoot the 
son of God, and hath counted the blood 
of the covenant wherewith he was sancti- 
fied, an unholy thing, and hath done de- 
spite to the Spirit of grace? May we 
escape this awful condemnation, and 
inherit eternal life! 



DISCOURSE VII 



THE PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN 
ALL THINGS. 

COLOSSIANS i, 18. 

That in all things he might have the pre- 
eminence. 

Jesus Christ it not only superior to all 
other men in his office as the Messiah, 
and in the extraordinary powers and pe- 
culiar work connected with that ojfice ; 
he as much excels all others in moral 
worth and real excellence of character. 
It is on account of his superior worth 
and excellence of character that God 
hath so eminently distinguished him : 
for his love of righteousness and hatred 
of iniquity, he is anointed with the 
oil of gladness above his fellows : 
for his obedience to death, even the 
death of the cross, God hath highly ex- 



PRE-EMINENCE OF JESUS CHRIST. 145 

alted him. The object of this discourse 
is to show, that God hath given him, 
who was pre-eminent in piety, virtue 
and goodness, the pre-eminence in all 
things : which should teach us that God 
will distinguish his servants, in propor- 
tion as they distinguish themselves by 
real excellence of character, and that 
the way to eminence, in the future king- 
dom of glory and blessedness, is, to 
excel in the present life, as Jesus did, 
in obedience to God and benevolence to 
men. 

To understand the language of the 
Apostle in the part of his writings from 
which my text is taken, and in some 
other places, it is necessary to take into 
view his character, the circumstances in 
which he was placed, and the extraor- 
dinary work in which he was engaged. 
It is evident that Paul had an ardent 
mind ; he felt deeply, and spoke strongly, 
while a persecutor ; and after he be- 
came an apostle, he not only discovered 
firm integrity, but also glowing zeal in 
the cause which he espoused. The 
circumstances in which he was placed 
were very extraordinary. God was ef- 
fecting a most important and glorious 
change in the state of the heathen w r orld, 
through the appearing of Jesus Christ, 

N 



146 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



and the introduction of the gospel dis- 
pensation. In this great work Paul 
acted a conspicuous part ; his whole 
heart and soul were engaged in it; it 
deeply interested his feelings, and em- 
ployed all his thoughts : hence it would 
he natural for him to describe it in lan- 
guage which corresponded with the ardor 
of his own feelings, and the impressions 
of his own mind. Such a man as the 
Apostle, could not avoid a bold and 
highly figurative style,, when speaking 
of a change in the moral world, which 
was like a new creation, and laid the 
foundation of all that is important and 
glorious. The former state of the hea- 
then he describes as a moral chaos ; 
mankind were under the power of 
darkness, dead in trespasses and sins, 
without strength, without hope, and 
without God. Jesus Christ came and 
revealed the gospel ; he died and was 
raised from the dead ; God w r as, by 
him, reconciling the world to himself; 
the gospel, with all its blessings, w r as 
sent to the Gentiles ; the light was dif- 
fused, the heathen night ended, a new 
day broke upon the world ; new life 
was communicated : the shades of death 
vanished, an immortal hope sprang up ; 
new strength was infused, moral order 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 



147 



produced, mankind were created anew 
in Christ Jesus. This is the creation 
which the Apostle ascribes to Jesus 
Christ, in which he has the pre-eminence 
in all things. Referring to this great 
change, he says, old things are passed 
away, behold, all things are become new, 
Because the new 7 order of things, intro- 
duced by Jesus Christ, is designed to 
be universal, and relates to the future 
state as well as the present, he is said 
to have created all things that are in 
heaven, and that are in earth : that is, 
among both Jews and Gentiles, who are 
all included in the new covenant ; and 
which concerns either the present visible, 
or the future invisible state of the church. 

The person of whose pre-eminence 
Paul speaks, cannot be the immortal 
God ; for his death and resurrection are 
mentioned, and his being born from the 
dead is spoken of, as necessary in order 
to his attaining his pre-eminence ; but 
the immortal God could neither die, nor 
be raised from the dead; he could not 
be the first-born from the dead; nor 
could this or any thing else be necessary 
to give him, who is infinitely superior to 
all other beings, the pre-eminence in all 
things. It is of the pre-eminence of a 
Mian, of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, 



148 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



who actually died and was raised from 
the dead, that the Apostle speaks : and 
all that he says in the context, must be 
so understood, as to be true of a man 
who died. This alone determines the 
figurative meaning of the language re- 
specting the creation of all things by Je- 
sus Christ ; it cannot be true, literally, 
that a person who actually died was the 
creator of all things. It is not of the 
literal creation, the creation of heaven 
and earth, Paul speaks ; but of things 
in heaven, and things on earth, of the 
new order of things introduced by him 
who is the first-born from the dead. 

The subject he had before him and of 
which he was professedly treating, was 
the gospel dispensation, with all its pri- 
vileges and blessings, and the hope of 
eternal life and glory. 

It is to the new creation, that the 
mission, office, doctrine, sufferings, resur- 
rection, exaltation, and all the ministra- 
tions of Jesus Christ relate. This is 
identical with his kingdom : in this he 
presides and reigns, and has the pre-emi- 
nence in all things. 

1. Jesus hath the pre-eminence as he is 
the first born from the dead. 

The phrase first-bom^m^ mean either 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 



149 



the first who was raised, or the chief 
among all who will be raised from the 
dead. Under both views Jesus is the 
first-born. He was the first who was 
raised from the dead to an immortal 
state. Though he raised the widow s 
son, Jairus' daughter, and Lazarus who 
had been dead four days ; these were 
not raised to an immortal state; their 
life was only restored for a time ; but 
he, being raised from the dead, dieth no 
more ; death hath no more dominion over 
him. Though Enoch and Elijah were 
translated, whatever change they might 
pass through, as they did not die, it was 
not a resurrection. Paul understood 
the ancient prophets to have foretold 
that Christ should be the first that 
should rise from the dead. Acts xxvi. 
23. As Jesus was the first who was 
raised from the dead, his resurrection is 
the pledge of the resurrection of all men. 
Now is Christ risen from the dead, and 
become the first fruits of them that slept. 

By being the first-born from the dead, 
Jesus is distinguished from all other 
men. The words in the second Psalm, 
Thou art my son ; this day have I be- 
gotten thee, were accomplished in his re- 
surrection; as Paul shows, Acts xui.33. 
He teas declared to be the son oj God 

N 2 



150 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



with power, according to the Spirit of 
holiness, by the resurrection from the 
dead. — By the priority of his resurrec- 
tion, he became the second Adam ; is 
made a quickening spirit ; and, as raised 
from the deed, is the Lord from heaven, 
the Lord both of the dead and of the 
living. 

2. He is the beginning of the new crea- 
tion. 

The new creation may be viewed in 
two lights. 1. As meaning the gospel 
dispensation. 2. The new state of ex- 
istence, which commences in a resurrec- 
tion from the dead. Of both, Jesus 
Christ is the beginning. The former 
commenced in his divine mission and 
ministry ; for the ministry of John the 
Baptist was merely introductory, he an- 
nounced the coming of the Messiah, and 
the kingdom of God at hand, which he 
should introduce. He did not reveal 
the gospel of the kingdom, he merely 
prepared the way for it. The glorious 
dispensation of divine grace, with all its 
privileges and blessings, under which 
we have the happiness to live, is traced 
back to the crucified Jesus ; with him it 
originated. All the benefits the gospel 



€F JESUS CHRIST. 15] 



bath conferred, all the happy effects it 
hath produced, all the divine aids, con- 
solations, and hopes we derive from it, 
had their rise in his ministry, labors, and 
sufferings. 

The new creation, as it intends a fu- 
ture state of existence, began in the 
tomb of Jesus. There the bands of 
death were burst asunder, the mighty 
conqueror subdued, and mortality swal- 
lowed up of life. Though the savior 
fell in his dreadful conflict with the 
king of terrors, and became a prisoner 
in the gloomy cavern of the grave; he 
rose victorious over death and the grave, 
and led captivity captive; the triumph 
he gained is an earnest of the utter de- 
struction of death and the grave, that 
death shall be swallowed up in victory, 
and all the spoils of the grave be re- 
stored. At the resurrection of Jesus 
the new world commenced, the creation 
began, which will be completed when 
that shall be fulfilled which is written, 
And he that sat upon the throne said> 
Behold, I make all things new. Jesus 
became the first-born of every creature, 
born from the regions of the dead to an 
immortal state, to the highest rank in 
the new creation. The gates of the 
grave were opened for the dead to re- 



152 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



turn to life, and immortality was assured 
to man. As Adam was the beginning 
of the old, Christ is the beginning of 
the new, rational creation; as mortality 
commenced with the former, immortality 
commenced with the latter. Thus hath 
he the pre-eminence. 

3. Jesus is the former of the new creation. 

As it commenced with him it is also 
his work. The gospel dispensation was 
introduced, confirmed, and established, 
by him. He regulated every part of 
this divine economy. It is throughout 
the labor of his hands, the effects of his 
ministration and sufferings. He taught 
ali the doctrines and precepts, gave all 
the privileges and blessings, revealed 
the immortal hope, opened all the bright 
and animating prospects, ordained and 
regulated every thing that is essential 
to it, and communicated to the Apostles 
all the gifts and powers which they ex- 
ercised in the office to which he ap- 
pointed them, and in carrying on the 
work which he committed to them as 
his messengers and servants. Every 
thing; in this new moral creation is bv 
him, and under his ministration. Thus, 
in the creation which the Apostle 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 153 



ascribes to the crucified Jesus, every 
thing is constituted and ordered by him, 
and is built upon his divine mission and 
authority. 

If the creation spoken of be referred 
to the new state which will commence 
with the resurrection, he is also God's 
honored instrument in this work. The 
hour is coming, in which all that are in 
their graves shall hear his voice, and 
shall come forth. As in Adam all die, 
even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
He hath abolished death, and brought 
life and immortality to light. It is he, 
who will change our vile body, that it 
may be Jashioned like unto his oivn 
glorious body. The execution of judg- 
ment, the regulation of all things here- 
after, the father hath committed to 
him. From him the righteous shall 
receive their reward, and live and reign 
with him in his glorious kingdom. 

4. He is before, or over, all things, as 
the head of the new creation. 

He hath the pre-eminence not only 
as he is the beginning and former of 
the new creation, but as he presides at 
the head of it, and is over all things 
which are by him. He has the pre-euii- 



154 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



nence, as he is the head of the body, the 
church, and is the head over all things to 
the church ; the only master among 
christians, whom they are all bound to 
serve and obey. He hath the pre-emi- 
nence among all men, as God hath 
given him authority over all flesh, and he 
is the head of every man ; is made first- 
born, higher than the kings of the earth, 
King oj kings, and Lord of lords. He 
hath the pre-eminence as God hath 
placed him at the head of the gospel 
dispensation, made him the medium of 
all its privileges and blessings, put every 
thing which relates to it under his au- 
thority and direction, raised him to the 
throne of glory, appointed him heir of 
all things, and proclaimed him Lord of 
all. He hath the pre-eminence as the 
head among the members ; as a teacher 
among those who are taught by him ; as 
a savior among those he saves ; as a 
leader among his followers ; as a master 
among his servants ; as a benefactor 
among those who are dependant on him; 
as a king among his subjects. He is 
before all in wisdom and knowledge, in 
humility and meekness, in purity and 
holiness, in goodness and mercy, in 
gentleness and love, and in every excel- 
lency : therefore God hath set him 



$F JESUS CHRIST. 



155 



above all in dignity and power, in honor 
and dominion, in riches and fulness^ in 
glory and blessedness. He is over all 
things in Christianity : his doctrine is the 
standard of faith, his precepts are the 
rule of conduct, his example is the 
christian pattern, his promises are the 
ground of dependence, his fulness is the 
source of privileges and blessings, his 
coming, the object of hope, and his 
cross, the christian's glory. He is over 
all our spiritual concerns : he is the 
apostle and high priest of our profession, 
the shepherd and bishop of our souls, the 
captain of our salvation, our forerunner, 
who is entered into heaven itself, now to 
appear in the presence of God for us; 
and our life is laid up in store with him 
in God. His authority is above all 
other derived authority ; for God hath 
given him a name which is above every 
name. God is his throne for ever and 
ever. 

5. Jesus hath the pre eminence, as he is 
the only begotten, or welt-beloved, of the 
father. 

The phrase only begotten, as used in 
the new Testament, is synonymous with 
well-beloved. Being the most worthy^ 



156 THE PRE-EMINENCE 



he is called^ emphatically, the beloved 
son of God ; on account of his superior 
excellence he stands first in the divine 
approbation. In the counsel and pur- 
pose of the father, he was an object of 
peculiar love; hence, in praying for the 
glory which is the reward of his obedi- 
ence, the fruit of his labors and suffer- 
ings ; he said, Glorify thou me with thine 
own self, icith the glory I had with thee 
before the world teas. And again, Thou 
lovedst me before the foundation of the 
world. It is through him that christi- 
ans have received the adoption of sons. 
As many as received him, to them gave 
he power to become the sons of Gael. He 
is full of grace and truth : and of his 
fulness have all we received, and grace 
for grace. Grace and truth came by 
Jesus Christ. It is through him, his fol- 
lowers, are heirs of God ; they are made 
joint heirs with him. He has the pre- 
eminence, as he first receives all the 
blessings of the father, being the first- 
born, only begotten, or well-beloved son; 
and is the medium of them to others, 
who are made accepted in him, in whom 
God hath chosen them, and blessed them 
with all spiritual blessings. 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 



157 



6. Christ hath the pre-eminence as 
God hath appointed him to be the Judge 
of quick and dead. 

In the office of Judge of the world, 
and the execution of judgment upon 
all, his superiority must appear, and his 
universal authority be fully manifested. 
As all must stand before his judgment 
seat, this will be an acknowledgment 
of his pre-eminence. The dignity of 
his office, the qualifications he must 
possess to fill it, the greatness of the 
work, the power of the Judge over all 
who stand before him, and the authority 
actually exercised in judging and exe- 
cuting judgment, must place him high 
above all other men. The Judge of all 
must be over all ; and the regulation of 
all things, which the judgment compre- 
hends, supposes a pre-eminence in all 
things. 

Lastly. The pre-eminence of Christ 
will appear in his final triumph over all 
enemies, and the universal extension of 
his empire and dominion. 

God will give him the heathen for his 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of 
the earth for his possession. The king- 

e 



158 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



doms of this world shall become the 
kingdom of God, and of his Christ. 
All who oppose him will be cut off. 
These shall make war with the lamb, and 
the lamb shall overcome them. The man 
of sin, who opposeth and exalteth himself 
above all that is called God, the Lord 
shall consume with the spirit of his 
mouth, and shall destroy ivith the bright- 
ness of his coming. He must reign till 
he hath put all enemies under his feet : till 
he hath put down all rule and all autho- 
rity and power, which is inconsistent with 
truth and righteousnes and peace. The 
last enemy shall be destroyed, even death. 
For all things are put under him with 
the single exception of the great Being 
who did put all things under him. He 
is able even to subdue all things unto him- 
self. He who was lifted up on the cross 
said, when anticipating that painful 
event, And I, if I be lifted up Jrom the 
earth, ivill draiv all men unto me. For 
it pleased the father, that in him should 
all fulness dwell ; and having made peace 
through the blood of his cross, by him to 
reconcile all things to himself; by him, 
I say, whether they be things in earth, or 
things in heaven. When all enemies 
shall be subdued, and all things shall 
be made subject to him, Then shall the 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 159 



son also himself be made subject unto 
him that put all things under him, that 
God may be all in all. Hence it appears, 
that, though among creatures Christ 
hath the pre-eminence in all things, he 
is inferior and subordinate to God, to 
whom he will always be subject. 

The preceding statement of the pre- 
eminence of Jesus Christ suggests the 
following remarks. 

I, That, though in his person he is 
simply a man, and made in all things 
like unto his brethren ; yet he is most 
highly distinguished, and raised to an 
eminence of dignity and glory far above 
all others. The things asserted of him 
are not, aud cannot be, asserted of any 
other person. Is any other person the 
Messiah p Can any other be found so 
eminenily distinguished for moral worth 
and excellence? Is any other the first- 
born from the dead ? Is any other the 
beginning and former of the new crea- 
tion ? What other person is the head of 
the church, the head of every man, the 
head over all things? Who else is before 
all things, hath the management of all 
our spiritual concerns, and is the ac- 
knowledged Lord of all ? Who, but 
Jesus Christ, is the mediator of the new 



160 THE PRE-EMINENCE 



covenant? Who else is the appointed 
Judge of quick and dead? What other 
person shall reign till all enemies he put 
under his feet, till all things he made 
subject to him ? Shall those who ascribe 
these high offices and powers, honors 
and dignities, excellencies and glories 
to Jesus Christ, and to him exclusively, 
be charged with degrading him, merely 
because they assert what the scriptures 
plainly teach, that he received them all 
from God, and that they belong to a 
man who was crucified? 

2. What God hath done for Jesus 
Christ, shows his great love to mankind, 
and the honor, dignity and glory for 
which he hath made them. Viewing 
Jesus as a man, God's love to him, the 
favor and blessedness he hath bestowed 
upon him, may be considered as an evi- 
dence and earnest of his love to the 
whole family to which he belongs; of 
the favor and blessedness he hath in re- 
serve for his brethren. We may feel 
ourselves honored in the honor confer- 
red upon him, and see our nature ex- 
alted and glorified in his person. The 
writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
after quoting a passage from the eighth 
Psalm, which mentions the dignity of 



OF JESUS CHRIST. 161 



man and the dominion God hath given 
him, says, JBut ?wzv tee see not yet all 
things put under him. Hut we see Jesus 
who was made a little lower than the an- 
gels, for the suffering of death, crowned 
with glory and honor. He considered 
the glory and honor which Jesus had 
attained, as an earnest of what other 
men may attain, and of the glory and 
honor which God hath prepared for the 
human race. Jesus is exalted and glo- 
rified, and hath in all things the pre-emi- 
nence ; that in him all the kindreds of 
the earth may be blessed. What God 
hath done for him, is with a view to the 
universal good of mankind; that through 
him the whole world may be benefited. 
He hath raised him to the highest rank 
and pow r er, who is the best qualified 
and disposed to use his power for the 
most beneficent purposes. 

3. If it be asked, who is this prime 
minister of heaven, whom God hath 
placed at the head of the new creation, 
on whom he hath bestowed such riches 
and honor, and power and glory? Is he 
a being of a different order from our- 
selves, one who can have no common 
feelings and sympathy with us? ]t is 
answered, No: it is Jesus, our Brother 
o 2 



162 



THE PRE-EMINENCE 



in nature, who was made in all things 
like unto his brethren, who was tempted 
in all points as we are, and can be 
touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties : Jesus who loved us more than his 
own life, and sacrificed his life for us. 
As it is the man Jesus who hath in all 
things the pre-eminence, we are peculi- 
arly and deeply interested in the subject. 
He will not fail to employ his power for 
our benefit, nor cease to remember us 
as his brethren, nor be unmindful of our 
interest. How consolatory is it to know 
that a man is placed at the head of the 
new creation ; is appointed heir of all 
things, is made Lord of all ; and that 
man is our best friend ! If a being of a 
different order from ourselves, had been 
raised to the high station which Jesus 
fills ; could we have felt such an inter- 
est in, or have had such high expecta- 
tions from him? 

Finally. What Jesus hath attained 
should animate our hope ; and stimu- 
late our exertions in the cause of truth 
and righteousness He hath triumphed 
over death and the grave; we shall tri- 
umph also: death is a conquered enemy; 
let us not arm him with fresh weapons 
by our unbelief and disobedience. Je- 



©F JESUS CHRIST. 168 



sus is at the head of the new creation ; 
let us act the part of faithful servants 
to so good a master, and show, by our 
temper and conduct, that we are created 
anew, after his likeness, in righteousness 
and true holiness. He is our Lord and 
judge ; let us constantly obey him, that 
we may be prepared to stand before his 
judgment seat. As in all things he 
hath the pre eminence, let the prospect 
of witnessing his final triumph over all 
his enemies, and of sharing in his glory 
fill us with exceeding joy, and encour- 
rage us to follow him through good re- 
port, and evil report ; knowing that, if 
we suffer with him, we shall reign with 
him; and that if we deny him, he will 
deny us. 



DISCOURSE VIII 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

0+0+0 

1 CORINTHIANS iii. 11. 

Other foundation can no man lay than 
that is laid, ivhich is Jesus Christ. 

In the New Testament Christianity, and 
the christian church, are spoken of as a 
building : of this building Jesus Christ 
is the foundation. The language is 
evidently figurative; but its meaning: is 
obvious. Moses was the foundation of 
Judaism, as the Jewish economy was in- 
troduced by his labors and ministry, 
and built on his divine mission and au- 
thority, and as he was the founder of 
the Jewish church. In like manner Je- 
sus Christ is the foundation of Christi- 
anity, and the christian church, as Chris- 
tianity was introduced and confirmed 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 165 

by his labors and sufferings, and is built 
upon his divine mission and testimony. 

All christians, in every age, have ac- 
knowledged Christ to be the founda- 
tion, and have professed to build the 
whole of their religion upon him. They 
have all uniformly admitted the divine 
mission and authority of Jesus as the 
Christ: and to admit this is to acknow- 
ledge him to be the foundation. There 
have been christians who have charged 
others, merely on account of differences 
of opinion, with rejecting this founda- 
tion ; but such charges are equally un- 
candid and unjust; while they all be- 
lieve that Christianity was introduced 
and confirmed by Jesus Christ, that it 
is built on his divine mission and au- 
thority, and that the christian church 
was founded by his labors, and suffer- 
ings, they make him the foundation. — 
While they all profess to derive the 
doctrines they maintain from the gospel 
of Christ, and to have a regard to his 
authority Id all their religious proceed- 
ings ; though they build differently, 
they all professedly, at least, build upon 
one foundation. Laying aside all b?:<o- 
try and uncharitableness, let christians 
of all parties, seek for a further know- 
ledge of divine truth, treat one another 



166 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

as brethren, and be careful what they 
build on the foundation God hath laid. 
I propose to show in this discourse, 

First. Under what view Jesus Christ 
is the foundation. 

Secondly. How God hath laid this 
foundation. 

Thirdly. Of ivhat Christ is the found- 
at ion. 

Fourthly. I shall enforce the apos- 
tolic advice u Let every man take heed 
how he buildeth thereupon" 

First. I attempt to shoiv under what 
view Jesus Christ is the foundation. 

1. It is not his person merely, nor any 
views of his person abstractly, that con- 
stitute the foundation of which Paul 
speaks. In another place he says that 
christians, Are built upon the foundation 
of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus 
Christ himself being the chief corner 
stone. No one will understand him to 
mean that christians are built upon the 
persons of the apostles and prophets; 
all will allow that, in the passage just 
quoted, when the apostles and prophets 
are mentioaed, not their persons, but 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 167 

their testimony, is what Paul had in 
view; it follows, that when Jesus is 
spoken of as a foundation, in connection 
with them, the language no more means 
that his person is the foundation, than 
it does that their persons are the foun- 
dation ; the form of expression ought to 
be construed in the same way respect- 
ing the one as the other ; the only differ- 
ence is, that Jesus Christ is the chief 
corner stone. 

2. In attending to the subject before 
us, it is important to inquire, who was 
Jesus Christ? This inquiry the New 
Testament fully answers. It shows 
that he was a man, who was crucified 
and slain, who actually died, was 
buried, and raised from the dead. The 
apostles preached no Christ, but the 
man who was crucified. This is the 
person whom Paul declares to be the 
foundation. It follows that it cannot 
be necessary to believe that Christ is 
God, in order to our admitting that he 
is the foundation, in the sense in which 
the apostle speaks of him as such ; for 
God could not be crucified and slain ; 
nor could he who died and was buried, 
be the immortal God. Not because he 
is God, but because he is the Christ 
Jesus is the foundation. 



168 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION* 

3. It may be asked, Are we then- to 
build our faith and hope, the whole of 
our religion, upon a mere man ? By no 
means. As it is not as God. neither is 
it merely as man, that Jesus is the foun- 
dation ; but as the Christ, the divinely 
commissioned, divinely empowered mes- 
senger of God. Though a regard to 
divine truth compels us to deny the 
deity of Christ; we firmly believe, and 
steadily maintain, all that the scriptures 
teach concerning his divinity ; that, 
though his person was human, his mis- 
sion and authority were divine ; we as- 
sert the divinity of his doctrine and 
works, of his office, and the blessings 
which came by him. 

4. That it is as the Christ, as a di- 
vinely commissioned person, Jesus is 
the foundation, appears from the plain 
declarations of the New Testament : 
for brevity's sake 1 shall content myself 
with referring to three passages. Matt, 
xvi. 13—18, When Jesus asked his dis- 
ciples, Whom do men say that /, the $07i 
of man am? and they informed him of 
the opinions of the Jews respecting 
him ; he said to them, But whom say 
ye that I am ? and Simon Peter answered 
and said, Thou art the Christ, the son o f 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 169 

the living God. In consequence of this 
confession, Jesus pronounced Peter 
blessed, and said, Upon this rock will I 
build my church. Thus our Lord plain- 
ly taught, that the Messiahship of the 
son of man is the foundation of the 
christian church. The second passage 
I refer to is, Rom. x. 9. If thou shalt 
confess ivith thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 
and shalt believe in thine heart, that God 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be 
saved. These words of the Apostle 
teach, that an acknowledgment of the 
authority of Jesus, and a firm belief in 
his resurrection, the grand evidence of 
his being the Messiah, are the things 
necessary to salvation. The third pas- 
sage is, 1 John v. 1, Whosoever believeth 
that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. 
If all who believe that Jesus is the 
Messiah are born of God, that is, are 
real christians, the belief of that fact 
must be the foundation of Christianity. 

5. Christians are to build on the 
foundation of what Jesus revealed and 
taught. The name Christ is sometimes 
used, in the apostolic writings, when 
not the person, bat what came by him, 
is intended. So the name Moses is 
used, when not the person of Moses, 



170 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

but his law, is meant ; as when Moses 
is said to be read and preached in the 
Jewish synagogues. We can build upon 
Jesus Christ, or upon his mission, only 
so far as we build upon the truth and 
grace of God which came by him. 

6. But is not the death of Christ, as 
a satisfaction for sins, the true founda- 
tion ? We wish not to undervalue the 
death of Christ ; we believe it to be an 
event of very great importance ; as it is 
the seal of the new covenant ; as it was 
necessary in order to his resurrection ; 
and as, in the exercise of the power 
which he received in consequence of 
his obedience to death, salvation is sent 
to the Gentiles ; but we cannot admit 
that his death was a satisfaction for sins ; 
because no such thing is taught in the 
scriptures, and because the admission 
of it would exclude the free mercy and 
grace of God. However important the 
death of Christ may be, it is not the 
foundation ; for when Peter confessed 
the truth which Jesus declared to be 
the rock on which he would build his 
church, he did not know that it would 
be necessary the Messiah should die ; 
so far from it, when our Lord began to 
mention that he must be killed, Peter 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION, 171 

rebuked him ; he could not reconcile 
himself to the idea of a suffering Mes- 
siah ; yet he had confessed what our 
Lord declared to be the true foundation, 
on which he would build his church. 

Secondly, I go on to show, how God 
hath laid this foundation. 

It is plainly taught in scripture, that 
Christ is a foundation of God's laying. 
Jehovah said, by an ancient prophet, 
Hehold I lay in Zion for a foundation a 
stone, a tried stone, a precious corner 
stone, a sure foundation: which words 
are several times quoted in the New 
Testament, and applied to Jesus Christ. 
No fact is more plainly stated than that 
what he is, God his father hath made 
him. He is the foundation, because 
God hath been pleased to build Chris- 
tianity, and the christian church upon 
him. 

1, God laid him as the foundation iu 
his eternal purpose and counsel. Known, 
unto God are all his works from the 
beginning of the world. He calletb 
things that are not, as though they 
were. With him there is no succession 
of time ; the past and the future are as 



172 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION, 

much present with him, as the passing 
moment. Hence Christ is said to have 
had glory with the father before the 
world was, though that glory was the 
reward of his obedience upon earth ; to 
be loved by him before the foundation 
of the world ; and the saints to have had 
grace given them in Christ Jesus before 
the world began. To understand these 
things, it is necessary to consider that 
Jesus Christ was laid as the foundation, 
on which the glory should rest, and the 
riches of divine grace be displayed, in 
the eternal purpose of his father, 

2. God laid this foundation to his 
ancient promises and declarations : as 
when he said to Abraham, And in thy 
seed shall all the kindreds of the earth 
he Messed; when he promised to raise 
up a prophet like unto Moses, and to 
put his w ords into his mouth ; when he 
sware unto David, that of the fruit of 
his loins, according to the flesh, he 
would raise up Christ to sit upon his 
throne; when he promised to give him 
for a light to the Gentiles, to be his sal- 
vation to all the ends of the earth* 
Hence w r e read in the New Testament, 
that with reference to him, God consti- 
tuted the ages, that is, the former dis- 
pensations. 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION, 173 

3. God laid this foundation, by ac- 
tually raising up Jesus as a teacher and 
Savior; by giving him his divine mis- 
sion, and all the qualifications necessary 
to execute it; by placing him in his 
high office; by actually sending him 
forth in his public ministry and work ; 
and by accrediting his mission and doc- 
trine by the most unequivocal and de- 
cisive proofs. 

4. This foundation was firmly esta- 
blished by the miracles, and wonders, 
and signs, which God wrought by and 
in behalf of his Son Jesus, and by the 
apostles in confirmation of their testi- 
mony concerning him. 

5. Bv raisins him from the dead, and 
exalting him to glory, God made this 
stone, which the Jewish builders re- 
jected, the head of the corner He de- 
clared him to be his Son with power, 
according to the spirit of holiness ; and 
made him both Lord and Christ 

6. In the ministry of the apostles, 
God placed Jesus Christ before Jews 
and Gentiles, before the whole world, as 
the foundation on which mercy is built 
up for evermore, and salvation prepared 

p 2 



174 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

before the face of all people ; on which 
he will establish the habitation of holi- 
ness, that all the earth may be filled 
with his glory, 

7. As this foundation was laid deep 
in the divine counsels, and the way was 
prepared for its introduction among 
men, by a succession of prophets, and 
the extraordinary operations of divine 
power; so it was fixed in its place by 
all the divine perfections, and hath re- 
mained firm and unmoved through all 
succeeding ages, though exposed to 
hosts of assailants who sought to remove 
it ; and firm it will remain, till the build- 
ing which God is erecting upon it, shall 
be completed, and the top stone be 
brought forth with shoutings ; crying, 
grace, grace unto it. 

Thirdly. I proceed to show more di$- 
tinctly, of what Jesus Christ is the 
foundation. 

It has been already said, that he is 
the foundation of Christianity, and of 
the christian church. Christianity was 
introduced by him ; all its doctrines 
and precepts rest upon his authority, — 
The gospel was not the contrivance of 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 175 

human wisdom ; but a communication 
from God by Jesus Christ. It was not 
published by the authority of earthly 
rulers, or legislators, or schools of phi- 
losophy ; but by a missionary sent of 
God. It was not forced upon men by 
the arm of worldly power ; but rendered 
successful by divine proofs. The teach- 
ing of Jesus made it known ; his life il- 
lustrated it; his miracles, sufferings, 
death, and resurrection confirmed it. — 
He founded the christian church ; it is 
not built upon human laws and consti- 
tutions; the New Testament admits not 
of the interference of w orldly power in 
matters which are purely religious. The 
foundation of the church is the faith of 
Christ; its bond of union, his spirit; its 
laws, his precepts; its emoluments, the 
riches of grace which came by him ; its 
defence, the bulwarks of truth and 
righteousness ; and its light and glory, 
the crucified Jesus, It is not a kingdom 
of this w orld ; it is not indebted for its 
existence to earthly powers, nor for its 
preservation and happiness to their pa- 
tronage : deriving its existence from hea- 
ven, it i& shielded by omnipotence, en- 
riched with divine favor; and is a king- 
dom of God upon earth. To be more 
particular ;— 



176 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

1. Jesus Christ is the foundation of 
christian faith. He plainly taught what 
christians are required to believe. He 
is the author and finisher of our faith, 
because the whole of christian truth 
was made known by him. No other 
standard of faith ought to be admitted 
but his gospeL If we adopt another 
creed, and other articles of faith, besides 
the New Testament ; then have we ano- 
ther foundation of faith besides Jesus 
Christ. Those who believe on the au- 
thority of popes, or councils, or reform- 
ers, or any other distinguished persons, 
make them the foundation of their faith. 
If we would adhere to Christ as the 
foundation of our faith, all other creeds, 
and symbols of faith, but his gospel 
must be rejected ; and his authority 
alone regarded in what relates to chris- 
tian belief. All religious doctrines ought 
to be brought to the test of his word, 
and rejected if not authorized by it. 
What he taught, his disciples are re- 
quired to receive; but nothing else 
ought to be made an article of faith. 

2. He is the foundation of christian 
privileges. Though the new covenant, 
with all its blessings, originated in the 
infinite love of God, it came to men by 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION'. 177 



Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of it. 
Through faith in him, all its privileges 
are enjoyed ; we are all the children of 
God through faith in Christ Jesus, It 
is through him we Gentiles, who were 
afar off, are made nigh, are raised from 
the heathen state to the gospel state of 
privilege. 

3. He is the foundation of christian 
redemption. God raised him up to be 
a Savior. We have redemption through 
his blood, as he sacrificed his life for 
our deliverance. He made known sal- 
vation, and his death is the seal of it. 
He is not the procuring cause of our 
redemption, for it is the free gift of God; 
but lie is the efficient, or instrumental 
cause of it. We have it on the ground 
of what he revealed and taught, through 
his labors and sufferings. On no other 
authority have we such assurances of 
mercy and forgiveness, nor such power- 
ful means of deliverance from sin and 
its effects. His gospel and resurrection 
are the only ground of an assured hope 
of redemption from death and the grave. 

4. He is the foundation of evangeli- 
cal righteousness. Of this righteousness 
his gospel is the rule; it consists in a 



178 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

conformity, both in heart and life, to 
what he taught and commanded. He 
set the example of it ; and christians 
are required to let the mind be in them 
which was in him ; and to follow in his 
steps. He hath furnished the principles 
and motives which will produce it: and 
no other principles but those contained 
in the gospel, nor any weaker motives, 
can produce true evangelical righteous- 
ness. The doctrine and example of 
Jesus, the aids and influences of the 
gospel, must be fully brought into view, 
to produce that high degree of moral 
excellence which Christianity requires. 

5. He is the foundation of our hope. 
It is by his resurrection we are begot- 
ten again to a lively hope, to an inheri- 
tance incorruptible, undefiled, and that 
fadeth not away. While without Christ 
the Gentiles were without hope, they 
remained in the shades of death. He 
brought life and immortality to light, 
and is the resurrection and the life. He 
is in the christian bv the light of his 
gospel and his heavenly temper, the 
hope of glory. 

6 God hath laid in his son Jesus the 
foundation of universal happiness. He 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 179 

was in Christ reconciling the world unto 
himself. In him the grace of God, which 
briugeth salvation to all men, hath ap- 
peared. The free gift is come upon all 
men to justification of life. Where sin 
abounded, grace did much more abound ; 
that as sin hath reigned unto death, even 
so might grace reign through righteous- 
ness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Such are the declarations 
of an apostle; and they show God's 
design in laying this foundation to be 
the universal triumph of his mercy and 
grace, in the life and happiness of man- 
kind. 

Fourthly. Let every man take heed 
how he buildeth upon this foundation. 

It is evident from the context, that 
men may build upon Christ, and yet 
lose their labor. Note if any man build 
upon this foundation, gold, silver, preci- 
ous stones, tvood, hay, stubble; every 
marts work shall be made manifest : for 
the day shall declare it, because it shall 
be revealed by fire : and the fire shall try 
every marts work of what sort it is. If 
any marts work abide which he buildeth 
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If 
any mans work shall be burned^ he shall 



180 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

suffer loss : but he himself shall be saved; 
yet so as by fire. The consideration of 
these things should make us take heed 
how we build even upon the true found- 
ation. 

Whatever doctrines christians main- 
tain, they profess to build them all upon 
Jesus Christ, and endeavor to support 
them by the New Testament ; but it is 
certain all the doctrines they build upon 
him cannot be true, because they are 
inconsistent with each other. It be- 
comes not such fallible and erring crea- 
tures as we are, to be dogmatical, and 
pronounce with a tone of authority, 
what doctrines are true, and what false: 
we may not be able in every instance to 
separate the wood, hay and stubble, 
from the gold, silver and precious stones: 
but it becomes us to be always open to 
-conviction, diligent in searching after 
truth, and extremely careful how we 
build on the foundation God hath laid. 

1. Take heed how and what doctrines 
you build upon Jesus Christ : that they 
be not contrary to reason ; for to reason, 
he and his apostles appealed ; that they 
be not inconsistent with the character 
and perfections of God as plainly re- 
vealed in the scriptures ; that they clash 



CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 181 

not with those plain facts and declara- 
tions of the New Testament which com- 
pel universal assent. t Build not doc- 
trines upon detached words and sen- 
tences ; for words, and even sentences, if 
not viewed in their connection, may 
easily be misunderstood and perverted. 
Examine the context of every passage, 
compare one part of scripture with ano- 
ther, and diligently search the whole.— 
Endeavor to ascertain what led the wri- 
ters to use particular forms of expres- 
sion. Take heed that ye build not 
doctrines upon a literal construction of 
figurative language, which every one 
who has seriously attended to the scrip- 
tures, must know is often found in them: 
neither build doctrines upon what some 
call the spiritual meaning of passages; 
remember the sense of the letter, allow- 
ing for figurative style, is the sense of 
the writers. 

It may be asked, what is an unlearn- 
ed man to do? how is he to come to a 
satisfactory decision, among the discord- 
ant systems, and clashing opinions, of 
religious parties ? It is replied, He 
must use his reason, search the scrip- 
tures, and judge for himself. There is 
a plain rule, which, if followed, will 
enable him to come to a satisfactory 
Q 



182 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

conclusion in all matters of importance. 
Let him steadily adhere to those plain 
facts and principles, in which all chris- 
tians agree, and bring to the test of 
these the things about which they differ. 
They all agree that there is, and can be 
but one God, that Jesus the Christ, was 
a man who died, and was buried, and 
raised from the dead ; that the gospel is 
a system of the free grace of God, that 
God is infinitely good ; and in many 
other points of importance they equally 
agree. 

2. Take heed in what spirit you build 
upon Christ. That it be not in a worldly 
spirit; nor in a spirit of bigotry and 
uncharitableness ; nor under the influ- 
ence of the fear of man, nor of a desire 
to obtain the praise of men; nor in a 
hasty, light, irreverent spirit. You can 
neither build doctrines, nor any thing 
else, aright, upon Christ, any further 
than you do it in his disposition, in a 
spirit of seriousness and piety, of meek- 
ness and humility, of purity and love. 

3. Take heed what life and conduct 
you build upon this foundation; that it 
be such as beeometh the gospel of 
Christ. He hath described the wise 



6HRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 183 



and foolish builders. Whosoever hear- 
eth these sayings of mine, anddoeth them, 
I will liken him to a wise man, which 
built his house upon a rock : and the rain 
descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that house ; 
and it fell not ; for it was founded upon 
a rock. And every one that heareth 
these sayings of mine, and doeth them 
not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, 
which built his house upon the sand: and 
the rain descended, and the floods came, 
and the winds blew, and beat upon that 
house; and it fell; and great was the 
fall of it. Such will be the fearful 
overthrow of all your vain hopes, if you 
obey not the gospel of Christ. 

Finally. Take heed how you build 
upon this foundation, because your all 
is depending; consequences of the ut- 
most moment are involved. Tou are 
building for eternity. It is not what 
resembles a frail tent, that might be a 
sufficient shelter in a calm summer's 
day, that you need ; but a firm super- 
structure, that will endure, not only the 
storms of life and the shock of death, 
but that will stand for ever. A day of 
fiery trial will come. Try your own 
work, of what sort it is. God hath laid 



184 CHRIST THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 

the foundation ; you must build upon 
it, consider how much you have still 10 
do, and that life is most uncertain, 
lour breath is in your nostrils, ever 
ready to depart. Be ye always ready, 
even now the rain may be descending, 
the tiood swelling, the wind rising, that 
will try your building. Already the 
fire may be preparing that will try your 
work. God grant we may all be pre- 
pared for the day of trial. Amen. 



DISCOURSE IX. 



LOVE TO CHRIST, 

OSChfQ 

JOHN xxi. 15. 
Lovest thou me more than these t 

When Jesus called his apostles, they 
forsook all and followed him. The of- 
fice to which he called them required 
that they should relinquish all worldly 
pursuits, and, as his witnesses, devote 
themselves entirely to the work of the 
gospel. Convinced, by what they beard 
of his doctrine, knew of his charactj r, 
and saw of his mighty works, that he 
was a teacher sent of God ; they were 
sincere in their professions of attach* 
merit to him; but they had not vh at- 
tained correct views ofthenattm i I is 
kingdom. They expected the Messiah to 
q 2 



186 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



be a temporal deliverer, and an earthly 
monarch; not a martyr to the cause of 
truth, a deliverer from death, the head 
of a spiritual kingdom. When they saw 
their master, instead of being acknow- 
ledged by the Jews as their king, con- 
demned as a blasphemer: instead of 
beins; invested with regal di^nitv, nailed 
to the cross; instead of being seated on 
the throne of his father David, expiring 
on a tree, and laid in the tomb : their 
faith was greatly shaken, and their hope 
nearly expired with their crucified mas- 
ter. 

Though the evidence, which they had 
of his resurrection, revived their faith, 
and re-animated their hope: they still 
felt themselves in circumstances which 
they had not anticipated, and showed 
an inclination to return to their former 
occupation, instead of entirely devoting 
themselves to the work to which Jesus 
had called them. Several of them being 
together, Simon Peter said, I go a fish- 
ing ; the others said, we also go ivith 
thee: and they went forth, and entered 
into a ship immediately : and that night 
they cauuht nothing. When Jesus stood 
on the shore in the morning, and direct- 
ed them to ca*t the net on the right side 
of the ship, they cast it, and nov: they 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



were not able to draw it for the multitude 
of fishes. When, assisted by the other 
disciples, they brought it to the shore, 
it was found to contain an hundred and 
fifty and three large fishes. It is neces- 
sary to take all these things into view, 
in order to ascertain the design of our 
Lord's question to Peter. View Jesus 
and Peter standing on the shore ; the 
nets and fishes just before them; Jesus 
probably, pointing to these, while he 
said to Peter, Simon son of Jonas, lovest 
thou me more than these ? more than the 
nets and fishes, and all the gain they 
may bring thee ? That this is the im- 
port of our Lord's question appears 
from what he said, after Peter had an- 
swered ; Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that 
I love thee. He said unto him, feed my 
sheep ; feed my lambs : viz. If thou lovest 
me, let no earthly object or pursuit pre- 
vent thy devoting thyself to the work to 
which I have called thee. Though 
christians are not, at the present time 
called to give up their worldly employ- 
ments and pursuits, as the apostles 
were; yet they are required to love Je- 
sus Christ more than earthly things, 
and, if they love him, they will be wil 
ling to make some sacrifices for his sake. 
In insisting on this subject, it is pro- 
posed. 



188 LOVE TO CHRIST. 



First. To show what are the true 
grounds of love to Christ. 

Secondly. How love to Christ is to 

be manifested. 

Thirdly. That he ought to be loved 
more than the things of this world. 

First. It is proposed to show what are 
the true g rounds oj love to Christ. 

I. The apostlevS might feel love to 
Christ on the ground of the personal 
intimacy, and the pleasing intercourse, 
which they had with him. Every thing 
they saw in a person so excellent, was 
calculated to excite their affection, and 
to endear him to them. Such intercourse 
and intimacy we have never enjoyed ; 
there fore it can be no ground of onr 
love to Jesus, All our knowledge of 
him must be derived from the JNew 
Testament; and that knowledge is the 
ground of our love to him. The more 
familiarly we acquaint ourselves with 
what thg evangel rets and apostles have 
declared of his character, doctrine, suf- 
ferings and generous love; the more 
ardent will our attachment be to him* 
whom having not seen we love. 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



189 



2. Love to Christ proceeds not from 
worldly but from spiritual considera- 
tions. The attachment of the apostles 
to him, at least for a time, was connected 
with worldly expectations; they hoped 
to obtain the highest stations in the 
worldly kingdom, which they supposed 
he would establish ; but after his resur- 
rection their love to him was more pure; 
they knew Jesus Christ, after the flesh, 
no longer; they did not adhere to him 
from any carnal motive, nor with a view 
to any worldly object. Those who 
espouse the cause of Christ with a view 
to earthlv honor or emolument, are not 
attached to him on scriptural grounds, 
nor from truly christian motives. They 
would be the adherents of a Messiah 
on the throne of David; but not of the 
despised man of Nazareth, hanging on 
the cross, bequeathing reproach and 
suffering to his followers. 

3. A leading ground of love to Christ, 
is the superior worth and excellence of 
his character. The true ground of ra- 
tional love, which includes approbation 
and esteem, is real excellence. God is 
the hishest object of love, because he is 
infinitely excellent, comprehends in his 
character all that constitutes supreme 



190 



LOVE TO CHRIST* 



loveliness, and beautifies and blesses the 
whole universe. Creatures are deserv- 
ing of our love, as they bear the impres- 
sion of his hand and resemble him. Je- 
sus is his brightest image. He excelled 
all other men in purity and goodness, 
in every virtue and moral excellence. 
He combined in his character, whatever 
can adorn human nature, exalt man, and 
render him a blessing to others: conse- 
quently, next to God, he is worthy of 
our most ardent love. When the happy 
time shall come that every man will be 
regarded according to real character, 
when vice will be no longer connived at 
and flattered, because it appears in the 
high places of the earth ; nor virtue any 
more despised, because it is found in a 
humble station ; then reformation and 
moral good will rapidly spread and be- 
come universal. 

4. We are bound to love Jesus Christ 
for his love to us. What he did and 
suffered, displayed his generous love. 
His labors were labors of love. It was 
because he loved us that he gave him- 
self for us that he died for our benefit. 
Not all the hatred and malice, injustice 
and cruelty, ingratitude and baseness 
Qf men, could extinguish his love to 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



191 



them, or excite in his bosom any feel- 
ings contrary to love. His love was 
stronger than death ; for death, with all 
its terrors, could not stop him in his 
labors of love. Ought not so much 
generous love on his part, to fill every 
breast with love to him? 

5. We ought to love him, because 
God hath set him forth, as the object of 
his highest approbation. He, who ap- 
preciates every character according to 
its real worth, declared him his beloved 
son, in whom he was well pleased; he 
hath conferred on him the highest honor 
and the most distinguishing favor, in 
making him the organ of his will to men ; 
in communicating all the riches of his 
grace, all the blessings of the new cove- 
nant, salvation and eternal life, by him. 
There is the greatest moral fitness in 
our loving him, whom God so peculi- 
arly loves ; whom he hath made the me- 
dium of so many blessings to us; and 
with whom he hath connected all our 
dearest interests. 

6. We ought to love Jesus Christ, on 
account of the beneiits we derive from 
him. Next to God we are under the 
highest obligations to his beloved son. 



192 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



Through his labors and suffering, we 
have the gospel with all its privileges. 
Through him, the gates of mercy and 
salvation are opened to us ; we are 
brought out of the shades of death ; and 
blessed with the hope of eternal life. 
How difficult was the work of intro- 
ducing the gospel dispensation ! What 
obstacles had he to encounter! What 
prejudices to remove! What privations 
to endure ! What dangers to pass 
through ! What arduous labors to per- 
form ! What sacrifices to make ! How 
dreadful were his sufferings ! How pain- 
ful and ignominious the death to which 
he patiently submitted ! Surely, all his 
labors and sufferings, his living and dy- 
ing for us, the great sacrifices he made 
for our benefit; must entitle him to our 
love, which should be proportioned to 
the importance of the gospel, to the 
value of salvation and eternal life, to 
the magnitude of his services, and the 
greatness of his sufferings, in bringing 
redemption to mankind. Shall those 
persons, who have made important dis- 
coveries, and enlarged the sphere of 
human knowledge, be hailed as benefac- 
tors, and regarded with affection, and 
shall we not love him who has made 
the most important of all discoveries, 



LOVE TO CHRIST, 



193 



and communicated that knowledge 
which is life everlasting? Shall the 
physician, who gratuitously communi- 
cates a remedy for some dangerous dis- 
ease, be loved as the friend of human 
kind; and shall we not love him, who, 
at the expense of his own life, hath 
communicated remedies for all the dis- 
eases of the mind? Shall the hero, who 
saves his country from destruction, and 
the patriot who frees it from slavery, be 
regarded with enthusiastic affection, 
and shall we not love, with equal 
warmth, Jesus, the Savior of the world, 
who, through the sacrifice of himself, 
hath set us free from the slavery of igno- 
rance and superstition, sin and death ? 
Shall the liberal patron who raises 
others from a state of debasement to a 
state of honor and privilege, become the 
object of gratitude and love ; and shall 
we not love him, who hath raised us, 
sinners of the gentiles, from the degra- 
dation of the heathen state, to the gos- 
pel state of privilege, to be the sons of 
God, and heirs of eternal life ? 

7. Viewing Jesus in his person as 
simply a man, we perceive the reality of 
his trials ; we can judge of his virtuous 
struggles and exertions, in resisting to 

R 



194 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



blood, striving against sin ; in becoming 
obedient to death; in performing the 
whole will of God ; we can form some 
idea of the conflict he must have had in 
withstanding every temptation ; in pre- 
serving himself pure in the midst of so 
much surrounding defilement; and in 
attaining, amidst so many difficulties, 
such high worth of character; we see 
the reality of his sufferings, and in them 
the greatness of his love ; much better 
than we could, if we had different views 
of his person : consequently, our mo- 
tives to love him are the stronger. 

8. Another ground of love to Jesus, 
is the hi°h expectation we have from 
him. Our highest hopes, and brightest 
expectations, are connected with him 
and his future appearing. Our life is 
hid with Christ in God. We must re- 
main in the gloomy abode of death, till 
his voice shall call us forth. It is with 
him that his followers will inherit eter- 
nal life ; with him they will appear in 
glory; with him they are joint heirs ; 
and with him they will inherit all things. 
He is connected with us by all the ties 
of nature, being made, in all things, like 
unto his brethren ; and by the strongest 
bonds of affection. He can be touched 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



19-5 



with the feeling of our infirmities, hav- 
ing been tempted in all points as we are, 
He is connected with us by all his 
offices and relations ; for they have to 
do, either with our salvation, improve- 
ment and happiness here, or with our 
life and glory hereafter : and we can 
hope for nothing greater, than to be with 
him, and to share in his joy and blessed- 
ness. 

The man who can contemplate the 
superior excellence of the character of 
Christ; the blessings we have received 
through him ; his generous love and 
eminent services to mankind • and the 
high expectations we have from him ; 
and not love him ; must be insensible 
to moral worth, dead to the feelings of 
gratitude, and regardless of obligations 
to the greatest of human benefactors. 

Secondly, I proceed to shoiv how love 
to Christ is to be manifested. 

While Jesus remained among his fol- 
lowers, they could show their love to 
him by their attention to his person, by 
contributing to his wants, and by such 
marks of kindness and regard, as proved 
the sincerity. of their respect and affec- 
tion ; but this is no longer possible, as 



196 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



we have no access to him, and he nei- 
ther needs nor can receive personally 
any benefit from us. We cannot anoint 
his head, as Mary did ; nor minister to 
his necessities, like those who followed 
him from Galilee ; nor entertain him at 
our houses, nor accompany him in his 
journies, nor with Joseph and Nicode- 
mus assist at his funeral; yet there are 
other ways in which our love to Christ 
may be fully manifested. Our love to 
him has to do with what he taught and 
commanded, with his example, his fol- 
lowers and his cause. It is not an en- 
thusiastic passion that we are called to 
cherish ; but a steady regard to truth 
and righteousness ; such a temper of 
mind as will promote the great objects 
which Jesus had in view, both in life 
and in death. 

Christians have sometimes imagined 
that they showed their love to Christ by 
giving him the most lofty titles, and by 
offering to him divine worship ; but 
ascribing to him unscriptural titles, and 
offering to him divine worship, which, 
both by precept and example, he taught 
should be offered to God his Father 
only, he can never regard with appro- 
bation. Earthly sovereigns may be 
flattered with names and titles which 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



197 



belong not to them ; not so the holy Je- 
sus ; he is too jealous of his Father's 
honor, too deeply concerned for his 
glory, to view with complacency an in- 
vasion of the divine prerogatives in his 
favor. Even ascribing to him the titles 
which are justly his due, he will not 
accept as a proof of our love, unless ac- 
companied by less equivocal marks of 
our regard. He said, Why call ye me 
Lord, Lord, and do not the things 
which I say ? Not every one that saith 
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. 

Love to Christ is not to be manifested 
by thinking ill, and speaking disrespect, 
fully of God his Father ; by robbing 
him of his adorable attribute of free 
mercy, and arraying him in vengeance ; 
that we may ascribe to his Son the ho- 
nor of appeasing his wrath, and pur- 
chasing blessings of him for his crea- 
tures. What son that venerates his 
father, could accept, as a mark of re- 
spect, the degrading of his father's 
character, that his own might be ex- 
alted? Least of all can Jesus be that 
son. 

There have been times, it is hoped 
they will never more return, when men 
thought they showed their love to Christ 

e 2 



198 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



by destroying their fellow creatures, 
and by hating, persecuting and torment- 
ing one another. What destructive cru- 
sades and cruel persecutions have been 
carried on under the pretence of honor- 
ing the Savior ; what dreadful murders, 
and horrid massacres, have been com- 
mitted, out of a professed regard to his 
venerable name ! Love to Christ could 
never kindle the fires of persecution, nor 
brandish the weapons of destruction. 
It never could operate to the violation 
of his law of love, nor be discovered 
by a dereliction of his mild and merci- 
ful temper. Bigots may still suppose 
that they show their love to Jesus, by 
their unhallowed zeal, by censuring and 
condemning those who cannot subscribe 
their creed ; but they are greatly mis- 
taken ; love to him can only operate in 
such a temper as he manifested. 

1. He said, If any man love me he 
will keep my words. His disciples show 
their attachment to him, by continuing 
steadfast in the profession of his gospel ; 
by a practical attention to his doctrine ; 
by using all the means in their power 
to understand the things which he 
taught ; and by letting his words abide 
in them. Those who love Jesus, love 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



199 



the gospel ; those who love not the gos- 
pel, love not him. Those who love him. 
were he with them, would listen with 
pleasure to his gracious words; now he 
is absent, they attend diligently to those 
words as recorded in the new Testa- 
ment : nor will they hold the words of 
other men in equal estimation. 

2. Jesus said, One is your master, even 
Christ. His followers show their love 
to him by refusing to acknowledge any 
other master in religious matters. They 
have too high a regard to him to consent 
to the invasion of the authority, in mat- 
ters of faith and conscience, w hich God 
hath given to him only. To transfer the 
allegiance which they owe to Christ to 
any power upon earth, would prove 
them unfaithful servants to their rightful 
Lord, and deficient in their love to him, 

3. It is not by mere professions, that 
christians show their love to Jesus, He 
said, Jj ye love me keep my command- 
ments. As much as to say, All your 
professions of love to me, and zeal in 
my cause, will stand for nothing, if the 
sincerity of them be not proved by your 
obedience to my precepts. In a well 
ordered state, loyalty is best shown by 



200 LOVE TO CHRIST. 



obedience to the laws; so loyalty to him 
whom God hath exalted to be a Prince 
and a Savior, is best manifested by 
obedience to his commandments. Our 
love to Christ must be estimated by 
the conformity of our tempers and lives 
to the gospel. That man, whatever 
may be his opinions or party, who best 
obeys Christ, shows the most love to 
him. 

4. This is my commandment, said our 
great master, that ye love one another as 
I have loved you. He will accept what 
is done to his disciples, as done to him- 
self: Forasmuch as ye did it to one of 
the least of these, ye did it unto me. By 
their mutual love, christians show them- 
selves to be his disciples; and those 
who do the will of his heavenly Father; 
he will acknowledge as his nearest re- 
lations ; his brother, and sister, and 
mother. 

5. It is natural to imitate what we 
love. If we love the Lord Jesus, it 
must be because he appears lovely in 
our eyes. How then can we prove that 
we truly love him, any further than we 
imitate him ? We have never seen his 
person; but the excellencies of his cha- 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



201 



racter are placed before us ; to love him, 
is to love those excellencies ; and if we 
love them, we shall certainly make it 
our study to copy them. 

6. Love to Christ will show itself by 
zeal in his cause, which is the cause of 
truth, and righteousness, and peace. 
Though w r e can coufer no benefit on him 
personally, we can promote his cause in 
the world. If we be cold hearted and 
indifferent in the cause of pure and pri- 
mitive Christianity, it may justly be 
demanded of us, Where is your love to 
Jesus Christ? 

7. We naturally cherish the memory 
of the dear objects of our affection; 
they perish not from our thoughts, 
though we can see them no more ; the 
recollection of their virtues and excel- 
lencies, is preserved as a valuable trea* 
sure. If we love Jesus Christ, we shall 
cherish his memory, in particular in the 
way himself hath directed. 

8. Love to Christ will lead christians 
to wait for his coming. The apostle, 
Paul, speaks of their loving his appear- 
ing. The prospect of his coming, fills 
not the soul of the christian w ith terror* 



202 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



but with hope and joy. He expects 
him as one expects a most kind and 
affectionate friend, a loving parent or 
brother. He looks to his appearing 
for the fulfilment of his best desires, 
the realizing of his highest hopes, the 
completion of his happiness. 

Thi rdly, W e ought to love Jesus Christ 
above all earthly things. 

Earthly things are given to be en- 
joyed ; to despise the gifts, is to be 
ungrateful to the giver. Christians are 
not called to abandon the world, to quit 
its busy scenes ; nor to relinquish its 
iteioceot gratifications, ho far as they are 
compatible with the calls of duty. It 
is in the right use of the blessings of 
nature and providence, by acting pro- 
perly in all the scenes of life, that the 
happy influence of Christianity is dis- 
covered. It is necessary that every 
thing should be estimated according to 
its real value and relative importance; 
and that what is of the highest interest 
should have the preference in our re- 
gard. Nothing earthly can equal in 
value and importance the blessings 
which came by Jesus Christ ; nor can 
any object of sense equal in loveliness 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



203 



his character. Earthly things can be 
enjoyed but for a short time; they have 
relation only to this life, and perish in 
the using. The gospel relates to a 
future life, to our eternal interests. The 
things of this world are subordinate, as 
to real happiness, even in the present 
state ; but the things of Christ have an 
essential connection with our happiness 
both here and hereafter. Therefore 
Christ ought to be loved more than 
earthly things. 

An inordinate attachment to the 
world is incompatible with love to 
Christ; with real Christianity. It will 
disqualify a man for the reception of 
the pure doctrine of the gospel, which 
teaches the renunciation of every selfish 
principle, and the habitual practice of 
goodness and mercy. He who is influ- 
enced by the love of the world, cannot 
love the excellencies which appeared in 
Jesus Christ ; and if he cannot love 
these excellencies, he cannot love him. 
The man w ho makes earthly things 1 is 
chief good, disqualifies himself for the 
sublimer pleasures of religion; lie forms 
no proper estimate of the blessings 
which Jesus was sent to communicate, 

The self-denial which the gospel re- 
quires, and which is comprehended in 



204 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



loving Christ, is only such as is neces- 
sary to true happiness. It is not the in- 
fliction of voluntary pain, nor the sacri- 
fice of pleasures which are consistent 
with true virtue, nor the violation of 
any sympathy or affection which tends 
to happiness, nor the suppression of any 
desire that it would be useful to in- 
dulge; it involves not the breach of 
any moral duty, nor diverts from any 
object which it would be wise and good 
to pursue. It consists in the crucifixion 
of those affections and desires which it 
would be criminal, consequently injuri- 
ous, to indulge; in the sacrifice of un- 
lawful objects and pursuits; in reducing 
to a subordinate place in our affection, 
those things which deserve not our su- 
preme regard ; and in giving up things 
which are in themselves lawful w r hen 
they cannot be retained consistently 
with the imperious demands of duty. 

Jesus taught that he who loveth fa- 
ther, or mother, or brethren, or sisters, or 
friends, or wife, or children, or houses, 
or lands or even his own life, more 
than him, is not worthy of him* He 
did not forbid his disciples loving their 
near and dear relations and friends ; so 
far from it, he enforced all the relative 
and social duties; they are no where 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



205 



better explained, nor more strictly en- 
joined, than in the New Testament. In 
love to himself he evidently included, 
and chiefly intended, love to the truth 
which he taught ; the righteousness 
which he preached ; the great cause in 
which he was engaged. He meant, 
that those who pay more regard to the 
opinions and wishes of their nearest 
relations and friends, than to truth and 
righteousness ; who seek to please them 
rather than God, are not worthy to be 
his disciples. He forbids not a man's 
possessing and enjoying houses and 
lands, or whatever other property be- 
longs to him; but his valuing them 
more than Christ ; such uncertain pos- 
sessions, more than tbe true riches. 
When the gospel feast was prepared, as 
described in the parable of the great 
supper, it was not the farm, nor the 
oxen, nor the wife, that necessarily kept 
those who were bidden from complying 
with the invitation ; but their improper 
attachment to these things. Jesus evi- 
dently meant to impress on the minds 
of his followers, that they must be pre- 
pared to make every sacrifice in the 
cause of truth and righteousness ; that, 
consequently^ their love to him must be 
stronger than their love to their nearest 



206 



LOVE TO CHRIST, 



relations and friends, their earthly pos- 
sessions, and even than their love of 
life ; otherwise, at the solicitation q{ 
friends, they might give up truth : for 
fear of losing their property, sacrifice 
conscience ; and to preserve their lives 
here, give up eternal life. 

How is it that some persons neglect 
to follow their convictions of truth, to 
profess what they believe, and to unite 
in the worship of God where it is con- 
ducted according to their own views? 
Perhaps a father, or mother, or brother, 
or wife, stands in the way; or some re- 
spected friend ; and they regard these 
more than Jesus Christ. Were they to 
obev the dictates of conscience, it might 
expose them to reproach, loss in trade, 
or some other inconvenience ; and they 
have not love enough to Christ, to make 
such sacrifices for him. W hen men 
continue in churches where thev are 
forced to assent to what they do not 
believe, and to practise what they do 
not approve, is there not reason to fear 
that they love something else more than 
Jesus Christ? When they prefer their 
own ease, or reputation, or emolument, 
to the interests of divine truth, of that 
cause in which Jesus sacrificed himself, 
is it not evident, that they love their 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



207 



own ease, reputation, and emolument, 
more than him ? When men can find 
time for almost every thing but christian 
worship, is there not reason to conclude 
that Jesus has but a small share of their 
affection? 

If our great Master stood in the midst 
of us, and addressed us as he did Pe- 
ter, bow should we answer? If he said, 
Lovest thou me more than thy houses 
and lands, than thy money and all thy 
worldly goods ? Lovest thou me more 
than thy reputation among men ? Lov- 
est thou me more than earthly gain and 
advantage? Lovest thou me more than 
thy situation in life, and most profitable 
connections ? Lovest thou me more than 
thy nearest relations and dearest friends ? 
Lovest thou me more than thy life? 
What reply should we make ? But he is 
not here at present to interrogate us : 
yet, remember, we must stand before 
him as our judge. Let us prepare to 
answer the above questions, or whatever 
he may demand of us, when we appear 
before his judgment seat. 



DISCOURSE X 



ON TEE GRACE OF GOD; AND RECEIVING 
IT IN VAIN. 

■ — QSG+Q— 

2 CORINTHIANS vi. 1. 

We then, as icorkers together ivith him, 
beseech you also, that ye receive not 
the grace of God in vain* 

It is universally acknowledged tbat 
God is infinitely good. Being infinitely 
gcod, he must necessarily have made all 
men for happiness ; nor is it possible 
that he should perpetuate their exist- 
ence, but with a view to their happiness. 
The follies and crimes of men, whatever 
miseries they have brought upou them, 
have never diminished the goodness of 
the great Father of all, nor influenced 
him to change his gracious designs. The 



ON THE GRACE OF OOl). 209 

provision made in the gospel for the 
salvation and eternal happiness of bis 
sinful creatures, abundantly displays 
both the greatness and constancy of his 
love, and shows the exceeding riches of 
his grace. 

Jesus Christ entered fully into the 
benevolent views, and acted upon the 
gracious plans of his heavenly Father; 
he devoled himself, both in life and in 
death, to the good of mankind. By 
the most difficult and persevering labors, 
and the patient endurance of the ino<t 
severe and aggravated sufferings, he 
sought their recovery from ignorance 
and sin, misery and death; to bring 
them to the true knowledge of God, a 
state of purity, life, and happiness 

The apostles entered into the views, 
and acted upon the plans, of their great 
master; like him they sacrificed every 
thing to the cause of truth, righteous- 
ness, and human happiness. They were, 
in this respect, workers together with 
God and with Christ. 

It did not satisfy the benevolent feel- 
ings of the apostle Paul, ardent as he 
was in the christian cause, and interested 
in the happiness of others, that the Co- 
rinthians had received the gospel, and 
continued in the profession of it ; he 

s 2 



210 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD J 



was anxiously concerned for their fur- 
ther inproveraent ; his fervent wish was 
that they might use the privileges granted 
them, for all the great purposes for 
which they were given : hence he be- 
sought them not to receive the grace of 
God in vain. He did not assume the 
style of a dictator, and in an imperious 
tone command them ; his was not the 
language of a dogmatist ; his manner 
was not austere and overbearing ; he 
treated them as fellow christians, as 
men and brethren ; he appealed to their 
understandings and their hearts ; he 
placed before them the most weighty 
considerations, the most powerful mo- 
tives; with all the force of argument 
and persuasion he led them on in the 
paths of salvation; and as a suppli- 
ant he even entreated them not to neg- 
lect the advantages they enjoyed, not 
to be inattentive to their best interests. 
We beseech you that ye receive not the 
grace of God in vain. If we would do 
good to our fellow creatures, if we would 
promote genuine Christianity in the 
world, we must imitate the example of 
the apostles ; we must cultivate their 
temper, copy their manner, act in their 
disposition; we must follow them as 
thev followed Christ, 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 211 

In attending to the present subject, 
let us consider, 

First, What is meant in our text, and 
in the New Testament generally, by 
the grace of God. 

Secondly, When it may be said that 
inert receive the grace of God in vain . 

Thirdly, Bring into view some leading 
considerations, which should stimulate 
us to the diligent improvement of the 
grace of God. 

First, Let us consider ivhat is meant in 
our text, and in the New Testament 
generally, by the grace oj God. 

The grace of God is a subject much 
insisted on by christians of different de- 
nominations. Jt is unquestionably of 
very high importance; as it is the foun- 
dation of our hope as sinners; our 
richest source of consolation as chris- 
tians ; the ground of all our bright and 
glorious prospects beyond the grave; 
and as it furnishes the most powerful 
motives to a life of purity and goodness. 
But is there not reason to fear that the 
grace of God is more talked of than un- 



212 



ON THE GRAGE OF GOD; 



derstood ? That the expression, The 
grace of God, is often used without any 
distinct ideas being connected with it, 
and that sometimes it is used to convey 
unscriptural and erroneous ideas. Pro- 
portioned to our sense of the high value 
and importance of the grace of God, 
should be our anxiety to form correct 
and scriptural views of it. 

I. Hy the grace of God is meant his un- 
merited, unpurchased favor, which he 
hath communicated to the world by 
Jesus Christ. 

1. The literal meaning of the word 
grace, in the New Testament, is free 
favor, or undeserved blessings. Hence 
it is distinguished from, and contrasted 
with, what is of works. Paul says, If 
it be by grace, then it is no more of 
ivorks : otherwise grace is no more grace. 
JSut if ti be oj ivorks, then it is no more 
grace: otherwise ivork is no more work. 
As much as to say, unless this distinc- 
tion be preserved, the difference between 
grace and works is lost sight of, and the 
words are used without any definite 
meaning. Grace, according to the uni- 
form language of the apostle, means 
what is undeserved, unmerited, and un- 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN- 213 



purchased ; what flows from the love of 
God, and is his free gift to men. It 
makes no difference, according to Paul's 
explanation of the subject, whether the 
blessings be bestowed on the ground of 
the works and merits of the sinner, or 
of his supposed substitute ; in either 
case it is of works; consequently, not 
of grace. 

2. This explanation of the word grace 
is illustrated and confirmed by its use 
when applied to other subjects besides 
religious ones. You have heard of acts 
of grace passed by earthly legislators, 
or proclaimed by worldly governors. 
What is meant by an act of grace among 
men? It ia well known to be an act of 
favor, by which insolvent debtors are 
set at liberty, and their debts are can- 
celled, without the creditors receiving 
payment from any other person ; or it 
is an act by which criminals are freely 
pardoned, without the punishment they 
had deserved being inflicted on a substi- 
tute in their stead. Did the creditors 
receive full payment, it matters not from 
whom, no act of grace would be neces- 
sary to liberate their debtors. Had the 
penalty of the law been executed, whe- 
ther on the criminal, or on one whom 



212 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD; 



derstoocl? That the expression, The 
grace of God, is often used without any 
distinct ideas being connected with it, 
and that sometimes it is used to convey 
unscriptural and erroneous ideas. Pro- 
portioned to our sense of the high value 
and importance of the grace of God, 
should be our anxiety to form correct 
and scriptural views of it. 

I. Hy the grace of God is meant his un- 
merited, unpurchased favor, which he 
hath communicated to the tvorld by 
Jesus Christ. 

1. The literal meaning of the word 
grace, in the New Testament, is free 
favor, or undeserved blessings. Hence 
it is distinguished from, and contrasted 
with, what is of works. Paul says, If 
it be by grace, then it is no more of 
works : otherwise grace is no more grace. 
JBut if it be oj tvorks, then it is no more 
grace: otherwise work ts no more work. 
As much as to say, unless this distinc- 
tion be preserved, the difference between 
grace and works is lost sight of, and the 
words are used without any definite 
meaning. Grace, according to the uni- 
form language of the apostle, means 
what is undeserved, unmerited, and un- 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN- 213 

purchased ; what flows from the love of 
God, and is his free gift to men. It 
makes no difference, according to Paul's 
explanation of the subject, vv nether the 
blessings be bestowed on the ground of 
the works and merits of the sinner, or 
of his supposed substitute; in either 
case it is of works; consequently, not 
of grace. 

2. This explanation of the word grace 
is illustrated and confirmed by its use 
when applied to other subjects besides 
religious ones. You have heard of acts 
of grace passed by earthly legislators, 
or proclaimed by worldly governors. 
What is meant by an act of grace among 
men? It is well known to be an act of 
favor, by which insolvent debtors are 
set at liberty, and their debts are can- 
ceiled, without the creditors receiving 
payment from any other person ; or it 
is an act by which criminals are freely 
pardoned, without the punishment they 
had deserved being inflicted on a substi- 
tute in their stead. Did the creditor^ 
receive full payment, it matters not from 
whom, no act of grace would be neces- 
sary to liberate their debtors. Had the 
penalty of the law been execute d, whe- 
ther on the criminal, or on one whom 



2\Q 



OX THE GRACE OF GOD; 



of it as something that had evidently 
appeared, that was known in truth ; 
which was not only known to those who 
had it, but which others knew them to 
enjoy. That by the grace of God is 
meant the gospel itself; either its decla- 
rations, or the blessings it conveys; or 
its influences and effects; or the super- 
natural gifts which accompanied its 
first promulgation ; the gospel, under 
one view or other; will appear by a 
reference to several passages in the New 
Testament, and more fully from an 
attention to what the gospel really is. 

It is said, The law was given by Mo- 
ses, but grace and truth came by Jesus 
Christ. John i. 17. When a contrast 
is made between what was given by 
Moses and what came by Jesus Christ, 
it is evidently a contrast between the 
law and the gospel ; therefore by grace 
and truth in this passage must be meant 
the gospel ; nor are we informed of any 
«race that came bv Jesus Christ but 
what is contained in the gospel, Paul 
says, The grace of God which bringeth 
salvation, hath appeared to all men ; 
teaching us that denying ungodliness, 
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in this present 
world. Tit, ii. 11, 12. What, but the 



AND RECEIVING If IN VAIN. 217 



gospel, can be meant, in this place, by 
the grace of God? What other grace 
brings salvation, and has been so openly 
revealed that all men may see it? What 
else teaches christians the things men- 
tioned ? Peter, in his 1 Epis. v. 12, says, 
I have written briefly, exhorting, and 
testifying, that this is the true grace of 
God wherein ye stand. In what did he 
know his fellow christians to stand, but 
in the faith, obedience, and privileges of 
the gospel ? What but the gospel could 
he mean by the true grace of God? 
When Paul, writing to the Galatians, 
speaks of frustrating the grace of God, 
and of falling from grace, it is evident 
from the connection in which such words 
stand, that he refers to making void the 
gospel, as the ministration of divine 
grace, and falling from its privileges. 
In our text; it is clear that the apostle 
by the grace of God means the word of 
reconciliation, mentioned in the preced- 
ing chapter, which word of reconcilia- 
tion certainly is the gospel. When 
about to depart from the lower Asia r he 
sent to Ephesns for the elders of the 
church to meet him at Miletus, and in 
taking his affectionate leave of them, 
after expressing that bonds and afflic- 
tions awaited him in every city, he 



T 



218 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD; 



added, JBut none of these things move 
me, neither count I my life dear unto my- 
self so that I might finish my course 
with joy, and the ministry which I have 
received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
gospel of the grace of God. Acts xx. 24, 
This language shows that he considered 
the gospel and the grace of God as iden- 
tical : hence in the 32 verse, he calls it 
the word of God's grace. The passages 
referred to, are sufficient to show that 
by the phrase, grace of God, in the 
New Testament, is meant the gospel. 

I shall further show that the gospel 
is in reality, and in the fullest sense, the 
grace of God* 

1. It originated in the infinite love of 
God to men, and is altogether the fruit 
and effect of his love ; it expresses his 
goodwill and kindness to mankind, and 
can be attributed to no other cause but 
his favor to them : consequently, it is 
truly his grace. 

2. The gospel, with all its blessings, 
is bestowed upon the world as a divine 
favor. Men had deserved no such 
blessings ; they did not even seek after 
them ; they had forsaken God and ren- 
dered themselves guilty in his sight. 
God received no price for these bles- 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 219 



sings ; Christ so fer from purchasing the 
gospel, w as himself the gift of the Fa- 
ther's love, who with him hath freely 
given us all things. 

3. The gospel is, byway of eminence, 
styled the grace of God ; because it is 
the richest communication of his favor 
ever bestowed upon men. The bles- 
sings of salvation and eternal life, which 
it contains, are of inestimable value. It 
introduces us to the highest state of 
privilege to which mortals were ever 
raised, and animates our breasts with 
the most glorious hope. In the gospel 
the favor of God is most abundant, as 
its blessings are free for all ; free as the 
air we breathe ; free as the light of hea- 
ven. Where else can we look for so 
rich a display of divine favor? 

4. The gospel has the most gracious 
tendency, and is calculated to produce 
the most happy effects ; to make all 
men wise and virtuous. It contains a 
remedy for every moral disorder; its 
influence produces peace and joy ; it 
blesses the individual who receives and 
obeys it, and makes him a blessing; it 
is calculated to unite all mankind in 
the bands of love; and to make the 
whole world peaceful and happy. Thus 



220 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD; 



in the fullest sense, the gospel is the 
true grace or favor of God, 

One conclusion naturally arises from 
this part of my discourse ; it is, if the 
gospel be the grace of God, then to all 
to whom he hath granted the gospel, 
he hath given his grace ; and there is no 
room for persons to say, as they have 
often improperly said, " we cannot avoid 
doing wrong ; we cannot act otherwise 
than we do, unless God be pleased to 
give us grace." In giving you the gos- 
pel, God hath given you his grace, and 
instead of endeavoring to excuse your 
neglect of duty, you should be diligently 
improving the favor he hath bestowed. 

Secondly, Let us consider tvJien it may 
he said, the grace of God is received 
in vain. 

On the face of our text, it is evident 
that the grace of God may be received 
in vain, otherwise there could be no 
room for such an exhortation, If, as 
some christians have supposed, the 
grace of God meant an inward princi- 
ple, which operates irresistibly, and will 
necessarily improve itself, wherever it 
is received, it would be impossible that 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 221 

it should ever be received in vain. This 
notion is equally unscriptural and inju- 
rious, as it tends to destroy in the mind, 
a sense of the necessity of improving 
the grace of God. 

From our text it is clear that the 
grace of God will not save us, without 
our own exertions. The Goo of nature 
is the God of grace, and in both sys- 
tems he proceeds on the same general 
plan; connecting means and ends, and 
requiring that men should use their 
powers aright, and improve the advan- 
tages he hath afiorded them, if they 
would attain the blessings he hath pro- 
vided. No man is so unreasonable as 
to expect to reap without ploughing 
and sowing; but it is equally unreason- 
able for any one to expect that God 
will save him, or make him holy and 
happy, without his exerting himself, 
and using the means which are provided 
for his salvation, his holiness, and happi- 
ness. 

It is further implied in our text, that 
the gospel, the true grace of God, is 
sufficient for the salvation of men; that 
if it do not save them, if they receive it 
in vain, the fault will he their own. If, 
as some have asserted, the gospel be 
inefficient, and men cannot be saved bv 
x 2 



222 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD; 



it, unless God be pleased to operate 
upon them by his special power, and 
place them under the immediate ope- 
rations and influence of his spirit, it 
must be unavoidable for all those to re- 
ceive it in vain on whom God does not 
so operate. This notion of the necessity 
of some operation of the Spirit upon 
the human mind, separate from the 
teaching and influence of the gospel, 
in order to saving faith, makes the true 
grace of God a mere nullity ; tends to 
destroy human exertions as unavailing, 
and to lead men to regard the gospel as 
useless, without such immediate divine 
influence to give it access to the mind, 
and make it effectual to salvation. 

To come closer to the point before 
us. It is hardly necessary to say, that 
those have the grace of God bestowed 
upon them in vain, who wilfully reject 
it ; such persons, however, should con- 
sider, that in rejecting the gospel, they 
give up the words of everlasting life, 
close to themselves the richest sources 
of consolation, and cast away the most 
powerful motives to a virtuous course. 

Those who satisfy themselves with a 
merely nominal Christianity, receive the 
grace of God in vain. Their Christian- 
ity is adopted as the fashion of the age 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN, 223 

and country in which they live; had 
any other religion been equally preva- 
lent, they would have adopted it in the 
same way; it enters no more into their 
real character, than their garments, or 
the common formalities of the society in 
which they happen to mix. Their reli- 
gion has not God for its object, nor 
eternal life for its end, What can it 
avail to be christians in name, without 
knowing the grace of God in truth ? 

To turn the gospel into unintelligible 
mystery, is to frustrate the grace of 
God ; for how can men be enlightened 
and saved by what is above, their com- 
prehension ? Are they likely to seek to 
understand, what they are ta light to be- 
lieve cannot be understood ? Those 
who content themselves with reading 
the scriptures, hearing sermons, and 
assenting blindly to religious dogmas, 
without seeking to inform their judg- 
ments ; with professing the gospel with- 
out understanding it ; receive the grace 
of God in vain. That which is not un- 
derstood, can neither affect the heart, 
nor influence the conduct. If we would 
not receive the greatest of the divine 
blessings, the gospel, in vain, we should 
study to have our minds well instructed 
in its holy doctrines and precepts. 



224 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD j 



Those receive the grace of God in 
vain, who turn it into an anti-moral 
system ; who suppose that believing is 
every thing : that faith is the all in all 
in religion ; that the gospel makes them 
righteous merely by leading them to 
trust in the righteousness of another, 
that grace covers them with the righte- 
ousness of Christ, in which they stand 
perfectly righteous in the sight of God, 
even before they are purified from sin, 
or begin to act aright. If this be not 
turning the grace of God into licentious- 
ness, is it not rendering it useless so 
far as moral effects are concerned ? — 
Christ did not come to be the minister 
of sin, nor to give men a cloak for their 
sins, nor to indemnify from punishment 
those who live in disobedience, He 
preached righteousness in the great 
congregation, and gave himself for us 
that he might redeem us from all ini- 
quity, and purify unto himself a pecu- 
liar people, zealous of good works. 

The grace of God is received in vain 
by those who substitute forms and cere- 
monies, in the place of moral purity. 
The gospel is designed to lead men from 
the glare of outward pomp, and the 
yoke of a complicated ceremonial, to 
spiritual worship, and habitual piety, 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 224 



virtue and goodness. The Jews made 
their law void by their traditions, and 
a servile regard to ceremonies, which 
they substituted in the place of moral 
excellence. Positive institutions and 
instrumental duties are not to be neg- 
lected ; but they ought never to be sub- 
stituted in the place of moral duties; 
their importance consists in their ten- 
dency to cherish piety, promote virtue, 
and prepare men for all the duties of 
life. If they be relied on as supplying 
the place of virtue and goodness, their 
true design is forgotten, they are prac- 
tised in vain. So far as the gospel fails 
of leading us to worship and serve God 
in spirit and truth, it fails of its end. 

The grace of God is designed to lead 
us to true evangelical righteousness, 
which consists in conformity of our 
hearts and lives to the gospel of Christ 
and the example he hath left us ; so far 
as we come short of this, we receive 
that grace in vain ; it answers not in us 
its designed end. Jt is given to make 
us a peculiar people in temper and con- 
duct, by the influence of its superior 
light, and more powerful motives; to 
produce in us all the fruits of righteous- 
ness, w hich are by Jesus Christ, to the 
glory of God. 



228 



ON THE GRACE OF GOD ; 



The genuine spirit of Christianity is 
love. Paul says, The end of the com- 
mandment is charity, out of a pure hearty 
and oj a good conscience, and of faith 
unfeigned. Again, he declares, that 
charity is the bond of perfectness. When 
he mentions faith, hope, and charity, 
as having a permanent abode in Christi- 
anity, he adds, but the greatest of these 
is charity. Among christian excellen- 
cies, he describes charity as the most 
excellent. If charity or love be so es- 
sential, if the gospel be so peculiarly 
designed to produce it as an habitual 
principle of mind and conduct, is it not 
evident that those professors of Chris- 
tianity who indulge a censorious, con- 
demning spirit; who are filled with un- 
charitableness ; have, under a most im- 
portant view, received the grace of God 
in vain ? What has the grace of God 
done for those who are without that 
charity, of which the apostle speaks, 
when he says, whatever else he might 
be, If I have not charity 1 am nothing? 

All the benefits, communicated by 
the gospel, will be lost to us, without 
our perseverance. We are called to be 
steadfast in the faith, to hold fast the 
beginning of our confidence, and the 
rejoicing of hope, firm unto the end.— 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 227 

Patient continuance in well doing is ne- 
cessary, if we would inherit eternal life. 
Those who do not persevere, lose the 
things they have wrought, and receive 
the grace of God in vain. It had been 
better for them not to have known the 
way of righteousness, than after they 
hare known it, to turn aside from the 
holy commandment delivered to them. 
Mav we continue steadfast in the grace 
of God. 

Thirdly, I bring into view some weigh- 
ty considerations] which should stimu- 
late us to the diligent improvement of 
the grace of God. 

1 . The recollection that it is the grace 
of God should have this effect. As the 
gospel came from God it is of the high- 
est authority, and ought to command 
the attention and obedience of all men. 
To disobey it, is to disobey God, and 
expose ourselves to his awful displea- 
sure. As it is the richest favor that 
ever God bestowed upon men, it ought 
to excite the mo^t lively gratitude, and 
how can that gratitude appear, but by 
the diligent improvement of so great a 
gift? Ingratitude is always hateful; 
ingratitude to God far more hateful and 



228 ON THE GRACE OF GOD; 

criminal than ingratitude to the greatest 
earthly benefactor: ingratitude for the 
gospel, the richest gift of heaven, the 
'vilest ingratitude a creature can dis- 
cover towards God : if we trifle with 
the word of life, and misimprove the in- 
valuable blessings God hath so gra- 
ciously conferred upon us, we are guilty 
of this vile ingratitude. 

•2. The consideration of what it cost 
Jesus Christ to bring us the gospel, and 
to assure to us its blessings, should have 
great weight with us. If we have any 
love to him, any sense of the value of 
his labors and sufferings : we cannot 
liu'htlv esteem the truth and ^race which 
came by him. Shall it be said that he 
endured so many trials performed so 
many difficult labors, and submitted to 
such indignity and suffering in bring- 
ing the gospel and its blessings to men, 
and that they treat this rich favor as a 
thing of light value, and will make no 
great exertions, nor be at any particular 
pains to improve it ? Those who lightly 
<r>teem, or neglect to improve the gospel 
should blush to talk of their love to 
Christ, and regard to his honor. 

3. The intrinsic value and excellence 



AND RECEIVING IT IN VAIN. 229 

of the gospel should stimulate us dili- 
gently to improve it. It is the word of 
salvation, the record of eternal life, the 
richest source of consolation, both in 
life and death : it is the most perfect 
guide to immortality; our directory 
through all the devious paths of life, 
and dangerous scenes we have to pass ; 
it contains the most perfect precepts, 
the wisest counsels, and the most pre- 
cious promises. "Who can lightly esteem 
so rich a treasure, or be so insensible 
to his own interest as to neglect to im- 
prove it, by all possible means to his 
present and eternal happiness. 

Finally. The most momentous con- 
sequences will result from the im- 
provement, or misimprovement of this 
grace of God, the gospel. How shall 
we escape, if we neglect such great 
salvation? If the transgressors of Mo- 
ses' law were severely punished, how 
much more shall those be punished 
who disobey the gospel of Christ? The 
grace of God cannot he neglected, nor 
abused, with impunity. The words of 
Jesus will judge those who have been 
favored with them, at the last day.— 
Those, who improve the gospel and its 
blessings, secure to themselves much 
u 



30 ON THE GRACE OF GOD. 



present happiness, and are preparing, 
by its influence, for eternal felicity. 
Jesus will hereafter acknowledge them 
as his brethren and friends, and make 
them his companions in glory. 

Let all these considerations stimulate 
us to the diligent improvement of our 
privileges, and lead us to abound in 
every good work, that we may receive 
a full rew r ard. 



DISCOURSE XL 



ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL SUBJECT 
OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. 

- — QSOSQ— 

1 JOHN V, 11. 

This is the record, that God hath given 
to us eternal life : and this life is in 
his Son. 

Our faith is built on the testimony of 
the apostles concerning Jesus Christ, 
what he did and taught, his death, re- 
surrection, and exaltation. 

The gospel, though testified by men, 
is the record of God ; it originated with 
him, and its first preachers were divinely 
commissioned to make it known: it 
was confirmed by divine proofs, the 
miracles and wonders and signs which 
God wrought by his chosen messengers m y 



232 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

it is a revelation of the mind and Will, 
the truth and grace of God : conse- 
quently ; he, who rejects it, rejects the 
testimony of God ; he, who believes and 
obeys it, sets to his seal that God is 
true. 

Christians, of different denominations, 
have insisted much on what are called 
the peculiar doctrines and distinguish- 
ing blessings of the gospel. Undoubt- 
edly a message originating with God. 
communicated to the world by the 
greatest of all his messengers at the ex- 
pense of his own life, and confirmed by 
so many miraculous proofs, must con- 
tain some grand discovery, teach some 
highly important doctrine, and commu- 
nicate some invaluable blessing ; but it 
ought not to be taken for granted that 
this or that opinion is a peculiar doc- 
trine of the gospel, merely because it is 
popular, has the sanction of celebrated 
names, either ancient or modern, and is 
made a leading article of faith in some 
christian churches. Every christian 
doctrine must be supported by the New 
Testament; and what cannot be proved 
from the New Testament ought not to 
be received as a doctrine of Christianity. 
Christians have too long been in the 
habit of receiving, as peculiar doctrines 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 233 



of the gospel, opinions which cannot be 
expressed in the words of scripture, 
which Jesus and his apostles did not 
plainly teach; and of overlooking what 
was the grand theme of their preaching. 
It is reasonable to expect, that the pe- 
culiar doctrine of the gospel would be 
so plainly expressed by the first teachers 
of Christianity, as to be intelligible and 
obvious to the meanest capacity ; that 
it is fully legible in the words of scrip- 
ture, without any comment ; that no 
scholastic, no unscriptural terms can be 
required in stating it ; that it is fre- 
quently brought into view, and occupies 
a prominent place in the writings of the 
evangelists and apostles. This will be 
found the case with respect to what I 
shall now state as the leading and prin- 
pal subject of the christian revelation, 
or the peculiar doctrine of Christ. I 
shall attempt to show, 

First, That Eternal life ivas the prin- 
cipal theme of primitive christian^ 
preaching, and is the chief subject of 
the gospel. 

Secondly, That this is peculiarly the 
doctrine of the gospel, 

u 2 



234 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

Thirdly, That the high and universal 
importance of this doctrine is suffi- 
cient to justify all that God hath done 
by his son Jesus Christ. 

First, I undertake to show that eternal 
life tvas the principal theme of primi- 
tive christian preaching, and is the 
chief subject of the gospel. 

If I can prove that this was the grand 
discovery which Jesus came to make, 
that to this point all his teaching was 
directed, that the great ends of his 
death and resurrection was the com- 
munication of eternal life, and that the 
making this known was the object of 
the ministry of the apostles, 1 shall 
have accomplished what I propose. 

1. The declared end for which God 
gave his son w 7 as, that through him we 
might have eternal life. For God so 
loved the world that he gave his only be- 
gotten son, that whosoever l/etieveth on 
him should not perish but have eternal 
life. Jesus declared that it was for this 
end the Father had given him his high 
authority. Thou hast given him autho- 
rity over all flesh, that he should give 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 235 



eternal life to as many as thou hast g iven 
him. 

2. Jesus expressly avowed the end of 
bis coming to be the communication of 
eternal life. This (saith he) 10 the trill 
of him that sent me, that every one that 
seeth the son, and believeth on Mm, may 
have everlasting life. % am come that ye 
might have life, and thai ye might have 
it more abundantly. He asserted, that 
God had given him power to quicken 
the dead, to communicate everlasting 
life. As the Father hath life in himself 
even so hath he given to the son to have 
life in himself. 

3. Because the principal subject of 
his teaching was eternal life, he com- 
pared his doctrine to living water. If 
inou hadst known the gift of God, and 
who it is that saith to thee, give me to 
drink ; thou wouldst have asked of kim 9 
and he would have given thee living ica- 
ter. The water that I shall give him 
shall be in him a well of water springing 
up into- everlasting life. When he called 
himself The bread of life, spoke of giv- 
ing his flesh for the life of the world, 
and exhorted the people to labor for the 
meat which endureth to everlasting life; 



238 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

he evidently referred to his doctrine, 
the word of life. 

4. The holy precepts he gave, the 
heavenly maxims he inculcated, the di- 
vine commands he taught, were all 
connected with this subject ; and obedi- 
ence to them designed to prepare men 
for everlasting life : hence it is said, His 
commandment is everlasting life. 

5. His teaching was so full of the 
words of life, that he who believed on 
him, who received his doctrine, was 
said to have everlasting life ; and those 
who rejected his doctrine were told, 
they would not come to him that they 
might have life. This shows that the 
principal subject and great end of his 
teaching was everlasting life. 

6. When Jesus is called The resur- 
rection and the life ; the ivay, the truth, 
and the life, the language strongly marks 
the object of his mission and teaching ; 
the leading character and substance of 
his doctrine. He is the resurrection, 
as he plainly taught the resurrection of 
the dead, and as it was afterwards con- 
firmed by his resurrection ; he is the 
life, as he communicated the doctrine 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 237 



of eternal life, and taught what men 
must do to inherit it. 

7. When many of our Lord's hear- 
ers were offended at his sayings, and 
followed him no more ? he said to the 
twelve, Will ye also go away ? The an- 
swer of Peter shows what the apostles 
understood to be the principal matter 
of his teaching ; he said, To whom shall 
ice go? thou hast the words of eternal 
life. This w as the avowed reason of the 
continued adherence of the apostles to 
him. 

8. Christ died and was raised from 
the dead, in confirmation of the doctrine 
of immortality, to give us an assured 
hope of a resurrection to eternal life. 
If he had not died, he could not have 
been raised from the dead : had he not 
been raised from the dead, the doctrine 
of eternal life would have been wahout 
its best evidence, and our immortal 
hope, without its best ground of assur- 
ance. It is by his resurrection, we are 
begotten again to a lively hope, to an in- 
heritance incorruptible, tin defiled, and 
thatfadeth not away. 

9. The apostle John informs us, that 



238 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

his object in writing the gospel, was the 
confirmation of this doctrine. These, 
saith he, are written that ye might be- 
lieve that Jesus is the Christ, the son of 
God, and that believing ye might have 
life through his name. However impor- 
tant it was to prove that Jesus was the 
Messiah, its importance arose from the 
authority of his teaching depending on 
that fact; it was important, because 
our having eternal life depended on it. 

Thus it appears, that the design of 
Christ's being given, of his mission and 
ministry, of his death and resurrec- 
tion, and of the writing of the gospel, 
was the communication of eternal life. 
This, then, must be the principal doc- 
trine of the christian revelation. 

This will further appear by a refer- 
ence to the preaching and writings of 
the apostles. After the exaltation of 
Jesus, they continued to insist on the 
same all important subject ; it was the 
grand theme of their preaching. 

When Ihey testified repen lance to- 
wards God, and faith towards our Lord 
Jesus Christ, when they preached the 
remission of sins to all nations ; it was 
that they might bring men to the gospel 
state of privilege, out of the shades of 
death to walk in the light of life, to en- 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 239 



joy the hope of immortality. So far as 
they were successful, sinners were 
turned from darkness to light, from 
idols, to serve the living God, and to 
wait for his son from heaven, to wait 
for a resurrection to eternal life. 

A bare glance at the Acts of the apos- 
tles, will be sufficient to show what was 
the leading topic of their preaching. — 
The Sadducees were grieved, because 
they preached, through Jesus, the re- 
surrection from the dead. When they 
had been imprisoned by order of the 
Jewish council, and were set at liberty 
by divine interposition, they were com- 
manded to go and stand in the temple, 
and speak unto the people all the words 
of this life. At Athens they preached 
Jesus and the resurrection. Those who 
received their doctrine, were said to be 
ordained, or disposed, to eternal life: 
those who rejected it, to count themselves 
unworthy of eternal life : which shows 
that the preaching of the gospel, and 
the preaching of eternal life, were con- 
sidered as the same thing; so that he 
who received or rejected the one, receiv- 
ed or rejected the other ; hence, when 
the gentiles had the gospel extended to 
them, God was said to have granted 
them repentance unto life • and the free 



240 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

gift it exhibits is called a justification 
to life. 

In the Epistles to the different 
Churches, eternal life is spoken of as 
the principal subject^ Paul asserts 
that, The gift of God is eternal life, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord* This 
is called the gift of God by way of 
eminence, being the greatest of his gifts, 
and his peculiar gift under the christian 
dispensation; it is, consequently, the 
most distinguishing blessing of the gos- 
pel. The language of our text is deci- 
dedly to the point. This is the record, 
that is, this is the principal subject of 
the record, that which characterizes it; 
that God hath given to us eternal life. 
In other parts of his epistle, John brings 
the same things pointedly into view. 
Chap. i. 1, 2. He says, That which was 
from the beginning, which we have heard, 
which we have seen with our eyes, which 
we have looked upon, and our hands have 
handled, of the word of life ; for the life 
was manifested, and we have seen it, and 
bear witness, and show unto you that 
eternal life, which was with the Father, 
and was manifested unto us. From this 
passage it is evident that what God hath 
manifested by his Son, is eternal life, 
All the knowledge he hath communi- 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 241 

eated has this life for its object; hence 
Jesus said, This is life eternal, that they 
might know thee, the only true God, and 
that Jesus whom thou hast sent is the 
Christ: and hence John said, The son 
of God is come, and hath given us an 
understanding, that we might know him 
that is true, and we are in him that is 
true, in his son Jesus Christ. This is 
[the doctrine of] the true God and eter- 
nal life. On this account Christ is called 
our life : and because we shall inherit 
eternal life with him at the resurrection, 
which will be the enjoyment of what 
we hope for, he is called our hope; our 
life is said to be hid, treasured up, with 
him in God; and when Christ, the life 
of his followers shall appear, they also 
will appear with him in glory. 

Thus the gospel is the word of life ; 
and hence it is said, he who hath the 
son of God hath everlasting life. 

Secondly, Eternal life is peculiarly the 
doctrine of the gospel 

Immortality belongs not to man in 
the present state. Oe is formed of the 
dust, compounded of perishable mate- 
rials. The breath of life, which God 
gave him, which is the animating prin- 



242 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

ciple of his whole frame, may at any 
moment depart. His life is but as a 
moment, or like a passing shadow. — 
Man, whatever the term may compre- 
hend, whatever principles may be com- 
bined in his constitution, is spoken of 
in the scriptures as mortal, and unavoid- 
ably exposed to dissolution. When the 
breath departs, he becomes inanimate, 
and returns to the dust. The popular 
notion of man's natural immortality, de- 
rives no support from reason, nor is it 
countenanced by any natural appear- 
ance ; it is not taught in the scriptures, 
but is incompatible with what they 
plainly teach. Adam had not eternal 
life when first created, he had no life 
but what depended on the breath in his 
nostrils: consequently he could not 
lose eternal life, either for himself or 
his posterity. Mankind could not de- 
rive from their first parents, nor from 
any of their progenitors, what they did 
not possess, an immortal nature : it fol- 
lows, that eternal life is not among the 
natural blessings bestowed upon man. 

What is called the natural evidence 
of a future life, or the argument from 
reason in its support, ought by no 
means to be disregarded ; but it must 
be acknowledged this has ever left man 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 243 



without a solid hope of immortality. It 
shows the reasonableness of the hope 
the gospel inspires ; but it could not 
give being to such a hope. The love of 
existence is so natural to and radical 
in man, that in all nations and ages, the 
desire of immortality has sprung up in 
the human breast ; and as might be ex- 
pected, men not favored with divine re- 
velation have anxiously grasped at, and 
raised their expectation upon whatever 
seemed in the least favorable to what 
they so ardently desired. Still impene- 
trable darkness covered the tomb, and 
as an impassible barrier confined the 
hopes and prospects of mortals to the 
present transitory scene of things; leav- 
ing all beyond, if any thing, an unex- 
plored region of conjecture and painful 
uncertainty. In the midst of this dark- 
ness, see man, standing on the brink of 
the grave ; trembling at the thought of 
sinking into nothing; mourning the loss 
of beloved friends, lost, he fears, for ever ; 
he strains his mental eye, calls up every 
fond conjecture, would fain discover a 
ground on w r hich to build his hope: but 
can find nothing clear and solid ; for he 
has not heard the words of eternal life ; 
the glad tidings that Jesus was raised 
from the dead, have not reached his ear ; 



244 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

he seems surrounded with illusions, 
while the tomb is already prepared to 
receive him, and must unavoidably be- 
come his abode. Overwhelmed with un- 
certainty, all his feelings oppressed with 
the horrid gloom and chilling damps of 
the approaching night of death ; he be- 
comes inconsolable, being without hope. 
The wants and wishes of man needed, 
and the light of reason required, the 
brighter illumination of the gospel, to 
give the dawn of an immortal day, and 
establish the well grounded hope of im- 
mortality. 

Could science and philosophy, by a 
laborious train of reasoning and deduc- 
tion, have elaborated from visible ap- 
pearances, a few plausible arguments in 
favor of a future life, the benefit must 
have been limited to a comparatively 
small number of persons; for in no age 
have the multitude been capable of be- 
coming philosophical reasoners : and, 
after all, such reasoning might be falla- 
cious, unfounded or inconclusive; it 
would be a foundation too slender to 
bear the weight of an immortal hope. 
We find, in the present far more advan- 
ced, state of science, and, in particular, 
of metaphysics, that some persons, when 
they have given up the gospel, have not 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 245 



been able to retain the hope of eternal 
life. If this be the case in the present 
advanced stale of knowledge, when so 
much light is diffused on almost every 
subject ; what must it have been in 
darker ages and less enlightened coun- 
tries ? Is it not plain, then, that the clear 
revelation, and well grounded hope of 
eternal life, are peculiar to the gospel? 

It may be difficult to acertain what 
degree of knowledge the ancient He- 
brews had of a future life; but it is 
certain that Moses did not introduce 
the subject in his law ; he did not make 
the sanctions of it rewards and punish- 
ments beyond the grave; he did not 
give the promise of eternal life to his 
followers. This subject was evidently 
not comprehended in his mission, the 
revelation of it made no part of his 
ministry. It is peculiar to the gospel, 
in distinction from the law. 

If passages in the Jewish prophets, 
after the days of Moses, intimate a future 
life, and teach a resurrection from the 
dead ; it must be acknowledged, that 
they leave the subject in much obscu- 
rity, and could not be understood, when 
first written, to refer to any, but persons 
of the Jewish nation ; they could not 
be taken as the ground of hope to man* 
x 2 



246 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 



kind at large. The gospel alone brings 
life and immortality fully to light, and 
places the hope of eternal life before all 
men. 

As Judaism was designed to prepare 
the way for Christianity, whatever know- 
ledge the Jews received respecting a 
resurrection and future life, may be 
considered as feeble rays of light, in- 
tended to prepare them for the effulgence 
of the sun of righteousness, when he 
should arise among them. They had 
glimmering lights of objects, which the 
gospel places in a strong light, and re- 
veals with clearness and certainty ; this 
appears to be peculiarly the case, with 
respect to the resurrection and eternal 
life. 

Thirdly, The high and universal im- 
portance of eternal life, is sufficient to 
justify all that God hath done by his 
son Jesus Christ. 

No blessing in this life is so valuable 
as lite itself; because on life every 
thing else depends, nothing can be en- 
joyed without it: he who loses his life, 
loses every thing in this world. Eternal 
life must necessarily be of the greatest 
possible value; because endless im- 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 247 



provement and happiness, every thing 
in a future state is dependent on it. — 
However valuable the present life may 
be, eternal life must be incalculably 
more valuable. God, being infinitely 
good, never can give existence, but that 
it may be a blessing, a source of enjoy- 
ment; it is impossible he should give 
eternal existence to his creatures, with- 
out intending that it should be an eter- 
nal source of enjoyment. Hence we 
may account for the phrase, eternal life, 
being used, not only to express future 
existence, but all the enjoyments of a 
future state. What heart, then, can 
conceive the magnitude and value of 
eternal life? 

The doctrine of eternal life is of the 
greatest importance to the moral sys- 
tem. It leads man to a view of his high 
destination, and to a sense of his true 
dignity, as a creature formed for immor- 
tality, formed to participate in future 
scenes, beyond expression glorious. It 
teaches him to form a right estimate of 
the present life, as the mere infancy of his 
being, and to judge of present things, 
not merely as they have a bearing upon 
his feelings now, but as their effects 
may extend to the whole of his exist- 
ence. It furnishes the most powerful 



248 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

motives to a virtuous course, by con- 
necting the actions of the present life 
with a future righteous retribution. It 
operates upon our hopes and fears, and 
by directing them to future objects, 
the most awful and glorious, engages 
them in the cause of righteousness. — 
Nothing has been found to give such 
useful alarm, or to inspire such salutary 
terror in the minds of sinners, as the 
fear of future punishment. This has re- 
strained vice, which human laws could 
not reach, nor civil magistrates punish, 
Bad men, who banish all thoughts of a 
future state, are likely to become worse. 
There are few persons on whom the 
doctrine of a future life has not some 
influence. The good man derives from 
it the most powerful motives to perse- 
verance in virtue and goodness. Though 
his actions may be misconstrued, and 
evil may be rendered to him for good, 
he has the consolation of knowing that 
his labor is not in vain ; that a glorious 
reward awaits him beyond the grave. 
The thought that he is sowing imperish- 
able seeds, which will produce an abun- 
dant harv est of honor, glory and blessed- 
ness, in the life to come, is the most 
powerful excitement to every good 
work. 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 249 

The prospect of a resurrection to 
eternal life, is a rich source of consola- 
tion under all the afflictions of the pre- 
sent life, and gives the firmest support 
under the loss of near and dear relations 
and friends, and the apprehended ap- 
proach of dissolution. In the midst of 
scenes which rendered a heathen incon- 
solable, the christian can be composed 
and happy ; for he has a hope full of 
immortality. 

Was it not worthy of God, the gra- 
cious and merciful Father of mankind, 
to send such a messenger as Jesus Christ, 
to give such extraordinary powers to 
him and his apostles, and to perform so 
many wonderful works in confirmation 
of the gospel ; when no less a blessing 
than eternal life was to be communica- 
ted and assured to men? Was not this 
providing like a beneficent Father for 
the wants of his rational offspring? Was 
it not most effectually laying the foun- 
dation of moral good, preparing the way 
for the intellectual and moral improve- 
ment of the world? Was it not opening 
the sources of consolation which the 
experience of ages had shown to be 
necessary ? Was it not bestowing the 
richest favor upon man ? Was it not 
every way consistent, to do every thing 
that God hath done in the evangelical 



250 ETERNAL LIFE THE PRINCIPAL 

economy, when such important purpo- 
ses were to be answered by it, when the 
best interests of the human race were 
dependent on it? 

The communication of eternal life bv 

«/ 

Jesus Christ, shows him to be of the 
highest value ; and his death to be of 
the greatest importance to men. It 
cannot be necessary to represent the 
Father of mercies as wrathful and vin- 
dictive; and Christ as suffering to atone 
his wrath, satisfy his justice, and pur- 
chase his favor for men ; in order to 
make the death of Jesus appear neces- 
sary and deeply interesting. If eternal 
life be a blessing of inestimable value, 
how highly to be prized is the messen- 
ger of God who brought it fully to light, 
through whose labors and sufferings it 
is communicated, by whose death it is 
assured to us ? Had not Jesus died, he 
could not have been raised from the 
dead ; and had he not been raised from 
the dead, we could not have had the 
assured hop^ of eternal life through his 
name. The communication of this hope 
justihes the divine conduct in giving 
him to die, and in raising him from the 
dead. 

The value of the gospel cannot be 
placed in a stronger light, than by re- 
presenting it as the record of eternal 



SUBJECT OF REVELATION. 



251 



life. This should recommend it to the 
attention of all men. We should prize 
it as the guide to immortality, the 
charter of all our christian' privileges, 
the basis of our hope beyond the grave, 
the ground of our title to eternal life. 

So far as the gospel has extended it 
has diffused the doctrine of immortality. 
The nations, which before sat in dark- 
ness and the shades of death, now enjoy 
the light of life. As Judaism answered 
its great end, in establishing in that na- 
tion the doctrine and worship of one 
God, of which the Jews have for so 
many ages been witnesses, in all the 
countries where they are dispersed ; so 
Christianity, however much corrupted, 
has succeeded in its leading object, in 
establishing in all nations, where it has 
extended, the doctrine of a resurrection 
to eternal life. 

The time will come when the words 
of everlasting life will be heard by all 
the families of the earth, and the sun of 
righteousness, which arose in Judea, will 
illuminate the whole world; when all 
nations and tribes will hail the man of 
Nazareth as the light of the world, and 
the life of men. That still more glori- 
ous day will come, when mortality 
shall be swallowed up of life, and death 
in victory. 



DISCOURSE XII. 



ON DEATH. 

LUKE xii. 20. 

Tikis night thy soul shall be required of 
thee. 

All men are mortal, and live under a 
continual exposure to death : yet, as 
the time of their dissolution is uncer- 
tain, they imagine themselves secure 
amidst surrounding proofs of mortality, 
and stand without apprehension on the 
brink of the grave, not expecting the 
alarming message, This night thy soul 
shad be required of thee. . Though thou- 
sands are cut off on the right hand and 
on the left; —though men of all ranks, 
classes and descriptions, one generation 
after another, are laid low bv the arrows 



ON DEATH* 



253 



of death ; still multitudes remain un- 
concerned, and move carelessly on in 
the way to the tomb, till the king of 
terrors makes them his prey. When 
he comes within the bounds of their 
habitation, and bereaves them of near 
and dear relatives and friends, they feel 
the stroke, are distressed for a few days ; 
but, with many, the impression soon 
wears off ; before they lay aside the gar- 
ments of mourning, the event which 
occasioned their putting them on is for- 
gotten in the hurry of business, or the 
thought of it buried in the vortex of 
dissipation : the enemy has retired, seem- 
ingly satisfied with the prey he hath 
seized ; and his silent advances are un- 
perceived, unheeded, till his deadly 
stroke falls where it was least expected, 
till the terrifying message arrives, This 
night thy soul shall be required of thee. 

In general, men either endeavor to 
banish the thoughts of death, which, 
however unwelcome, will sometimes 
obtrude ; or they regard it with uncon- 
cern, or it fills them with gloom and 
sadness. It is absurd to attempt to 
banish the thought of an event so solemn, 
which must inevitably take place, and 
to which we are exposed every moment. 
Whether we think of it or not, heart 

Y 



254 



ON DEATH. 



and strength will fail us, the icy hand 
of death will be upon us, the moment 
will arrive when we must quit these 
mortal scenes. It is great folly to be 
unconcerned about an event so impor- 
tant, which will close our worldly pro- 
spects, end our mortal career, send us 
to our last account, and issue in our 
introduction to an unknown state. To 
suffer death to fill us with continual 
gloom, is a proof of ignorance, or of 
weakness, or of some moral defect. 
We should learn to think of it with 
composure and firmness, to make it fa- 
miliar to our minds, and to attain that 
moral state, which will enable us to view 
it without painful apprehension. It 
should be our daily study to prepare 
for what cannot be avoided, and which 
we know not how soon may come. If 
we be prepared to die, the message, 
This night thy soul shall be required of 
thee, as it will not take us by surprise, 
will not greatly alarm us. 

Death is the wise and benevolent 
appointment of our heavenly Father. 
The being who made us, hath seen it 
wisest and best that we should be mor- 
tal, and live under a continual exposure 
to death. He hath left nothing to 
chance, all things are under his govern- 



OX DEATH. 



255 



meat; not asparrow falleth to the ground 
without him, even the hairs of our head 
are all numbered. He hath not left his 
beloved offspring, man, whom he hath 
made for immortality, to be the sport of 
chance, or the victim of a blind fatality. 
Diseases are his messengers, and what 
we call accidents, his ministers ; they all 
fulfil his will. In whatever way the 
message comes, This night thy soul 
shall be required of thee, it is God who 
sends it. The Father of our spirits re- 
quires we should give them up to him ; 
he, in whose haud our breath is, with- 
draws it, and we die. He knows when 
it is wisest and best to call us from 
these mortal scenes, whether it be in 
mercy or in judgment. Our times are 
in his hand. So long as he suspends 
the execution of the sentence, Dust 
thou art and unto dust shall thou return, 
we should diligently improve the sea- 
son afforded us to prepare for a future 
state, for it is the accepted time and day 
of salvation. O ! that men were wise, 
that they understood this, that they 
would consider their latter end ! 

The appointment of death is calcu- 
lated to aaswer important purposes, 
both to individuals aud to society. It 
renders the present life such a state of 



ON DEATH. 



discipline as it could not be without it. 
Our afflictions and enjoyments, our 
plans and pursuits, our hopes and fears, 
so far as they relate to this world, are li- 
mited by it to a narrow space. It shows 
the vanity of ail earthly things, the in- 
stability of all worldly dependence, the 
uncertainty of all terrestrial good. It 
is calculated to humble the pride of 
man ; as it shows that, however elevated 
above his fellows ; whatever may be his 
rank and condition : he is only a child 
of the dust, his glory will quickly fade, 
and his flesh become food for worms. — 
It teaches the necessity of continual de- 
pendencce on God, in whom we live 
and move and have our being, and of 
seeking a better portion than this world 
can afford. Though conscious they are 
mortal, and every moment liable to 
death ; men are too apt to forget God, 
to set their affections on earthly things, 
and seek their portion in this life: what 
would be the case it present things were 
not uncertain, and the present life not 
mortal ? Would they not be more likely 
to forget God, to engross to themselves 
the bounties of his povidence, and to be 
unjust and cruel? Mortality and death 
including pain and suffering, are calcu- 
lated to soften the hearts of men, and to 



ON DEATH, 



25? 



promote their moral improvement — 
Death renders plans of selfishness, 
tyranny and oppression short lived. 
Could those who would continually be 
pulling down their barns, and building 
greater, joining house to house, and ad- 
ding field to field, appropriating to their 
own gratification w hatever they could 
obtain, live to carry on their plans from 
age to age, they might plant themselves, 
alone in the earth ; but death interrupts 
them before their projects are realized, 
and their thoughts perish with them. 
The tyrant, w r hose perverted talents 
qualified him to enslave the world, is 
conquered by death, and the joke he 
imposed is broken The oppressor and 
the persecutor are cut off, and the op- 
pressed and persecuted go free, Man, 
arrived at old age, is too rooted in his 
opiuions, and in prejudices which have 
grown old with him, to go on with the 
times, to keep pace with the progression 
of knowledge ; what is new he regards 
with suspicion, and improvement is to 
his view dangerous innovation. Death 
removes one generation to make way 
for another; the new actors on the the- 
atre of the world have not the prejudi- 
ces of their predecessors, and knowledge 
and improvement are carried forward. 
y 2 



258 



ON DEATH. 



Thus death operates for the good of so- 
ciety, as well as the moral improvement 
of individuals. But there are other 
matters, which the text suggests, and 
which I would now recommend to your 
consideration. 

I. Let us meditate an the certainty of 
death. 

Universal observation and experience 
convince us that we must die. The 
fact of man's mortality is too obvious 
to be questioned. A subject so solemn 
in its nature, and so important in its 
consequences, ought deeply to affect 
and interest all men. Constituted as 
the human frame is, it can continue but 
for a time; it will inevitably decay ; its 
powers will wear out, and the vital 
spark become extinct. The seeds of 
mortality are in the human constitution; 
man naturally tends to dissolution ; 
though wonderfully made, his organiza- 
tion is liable to be disordered^ and his 
whole frame to he decomposed. The 
most robust persons in time become 
feeble; the most active powers, inert; the 
most penetrating and enlarged faculties 
incapable of exercise. 

See man worn out with age ; his hand& 



ON DEATH. 



259 



shake, his legs tremble, his eyes are dim, 
his ears deaf, his memory fails, his judg- 
ment becomes weak, he approaches to 
second childhood, he bends towards 
the earth, and, without accident or dis- 
ease, soon returns to the dust. Thus 
the noble fabric God hath reared to be 
a living temple for himself, after gradu- 
ally advancing to maturity, and stand- 
ing a short lime in its «;lorv, sinks into 
decay, and lies prostrate in ruins. Such 
is man, the child of the dust, the crea* 
ture of a day, and thus his glory fades 
away: yet God hath made him for im- 
mortality, and given him the promise of 
eternal life. 

No human skill nor art, no power 
upon earth, can resist the arrows of 
death. No outward circumstances, nor 
intellectual and moral attainments, nor 
rank, nor condition, can procure an ex- 
emption from the sentence, unto dust 
thou skalt return. The rich and the 
poor, !he learned and the illiterate, the 
prince and the peasant, the virtuous and 
the vicious, are ail alike mortal. Death 
is no respecter of persons : it extends 
its ravages to the mansion and the pa- 
lace, as well as to the cottage and the 
prison ; it regards the philosopher no 
more than the clown ; it prostrates the 



260 



ON DEATH. 



monarch as low in the dust as the beg- 
gar ; it congeals the bosom that is ani- 
mated by virtue and warmed by benevo- 
lence ; as well as that which is inflamed 
by impure passions and unhallowed 
fires. It levels all earthly distinctions ; 
it blends together, in one common mass 
of putrefaction and ashes, men of all 
ranks and descriptions ; it saps the 
foundation of ail worldly glory, and 
shows that all is vanity. 

All our anxious cares, our fond hopes, 
our eager pursuits,, our gay prospects, 
whatever of a worldly kind engages or 
delights us, must terminate in the grave. 
The heart warm with ardent passions, 
and beating high with expectation of 
earthly bliss, must become cold and 
insensible. The finely wrought specu- 
lation, the deep laid plan, the busy 
thoughts of man, which rove to the ends 
of the earth, must end in the land of 
forgetfulness. The lord of this lower 
world, a close prisoner in the tomb, 
w ill moulder away, mix with his kindred 
elements, and have no part among the 
living ; For there is no icork, nor device, 
nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave. 

To what solemn reflections this sub- 
ject leads! Am I then the child of the 
dust, the creature of a day, traveling 



ON DEATH. 



261 



to the land of darkness and forgetful- 
ness; and must the gloomy mansion of 
the tomb be my abode ? why then 
should I be elated with pride or vanity? 
why set my heart on the perishable 
things of time and sense ? why be anxi- 
ously concerned about what is but for 
a moment ? What is rank ? what are 
titles, or riches, or honors, or earthly 
posessions, or sensual gratifications; 
but the airy bubbles of a passing hour? 
Why should pain or reproach, or disap- 
pointment, or worldly loss, distress 
me? they will soon pass away. Let me 
weep, as though I wept not; rejoice, as 
though I rejoiced not ; enjoy, as though 
I possesed not; and use this world as 
not abusing it : knowing that the fashion 
of this world passeth away. Ere long 
no trace of these things will remain, 
but in their moral effects ; these will 
attend me beyond the grave, and influ- 
ence my condition in a future world. 

II. Let us consider the uncertainty of 
life. 

As it is certain that man is mortal 
and must die, so it is most uncertain 
when his death will take place, and 
what will be the immediate cause of his 



262 



ON DEATH. 



dissolution. The uncertainty of life 
will be acknowledged even by those 
who lay it not to heart. 

In the sacred scriptures, life is com- 
pared to those things which are the 
most fleeting. — What is your life ? it is 
even a vapor that appeareth for a little 
time, and then vanisheth away. — As far 
man, his days are as grass ; as the flower 
oj the field so he flourisheth ; for the 
wind passeth over it, and it is gone: and 
the place thereof shall know it no more. 
He comelh forth like a flower, and is 
cut down ; he fleeth also as a shadow, 
and continueth not. — All flesh is as 
grass, and all the glory of man as the 
flower of the field. The fathers, where 
are they ? the prophets, do they live 
forever? Where are those that flou- 
rished during the ages that are passed? 
How many persons can we remember, 
men of our own times, who are now no 
more! If life be protracted to its latest 
period, till the human frame wears out 
with age ; it quickly passes away like 
a tale that is told. How many diseases 
assail mankind, by which multitudes 
are hurried, in the midst of their days, 
to the regions of the dead ! To how 
many fatal accidents are the frail chil- 
dren of mortality exposed, by which 



ON DEATH. 



263 



life is unexpectedly cat short, and they 
are sent in their flower and prime to 
the grave! How then can we reckon 
on to-morrow? we know not what to- 
day may bring forth ; nor how soon the 
message may arrive, This night thy 
soul shall be required of thee. 

How large a proportion of human 
beings die in infancy! The fond parents 
cherish with tender assiduity the little 
object of their affection ; its wants are 
anticipated ; ardent wishes are breathed 
for its life and happiness ; but their 
hopes and joys are quickly blighted, the 
roses fade from its cheeks, it languishes 
and dies, a mournful proof that man is 
no sooner born than he is exposed to 
the arrows of death. 

In the flowery paths of youth, the 
seeds of mortality are scattered. While 
health seems to flush the countenance, 
and inspire cheerfulness and vivacity ; 
while fancy presents alluring scenes of 
future pleasure and yet untasted enjoy- 
ment; while bright prospects open to 
the view and inspire enlivening hope ; 
some insidious disease is secretly ope- 
rating, the lurking evil quickly mani- 
fests itself, beauty is changed for ashes, 
and all the fair opening prospects are 
swallowed up in an untimely grave. 



264 



ON DEATH. 



Without wishing to cast a shade over 
the sunshine of youth, or damp the joys 
of innocence, it may be permitted to 
remind the young that they are mortal, 
that their hopes ought not to be raised 
too high by earthly prospects; that to 
the young, as well as to the aged, the 
words may be applicable, This night 
thy soid shall he required of thee. 

Those who are at ease in their pos- 
sessions are in danger of forgetting the 
uncertainty of life; and of reckoning, 
with too much confidence, on many 
years to come; it is a case of this khid 
our Lord states in the parable from 
which my text is taken. And he spake 
a parable unto them, saying, The ground 
of a certain rich man brought forth 
plentifully : and he thought wii/iin him- 
self saying, What shall 1 do, because I 
have no room where to bestow my fruits? 
And he said, This will 1 do : 1 will pull 
down my barns, and build greater ; and 
there will I bestow all my fruits and my 
goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, 
thou hast much goods laid up for many 
years: take thine ease, eat, drink, and be 
merry. But God said unto him, Thou 
foot, this night thy soul shall he required 
of thee : then whose shall those things be 
which thou hast provided. Little did this 



ON DEATH. 



265 



man think, in the midst of his increasing 
riches, while laying plans for securing 
to himself his accumulated wealth, and 
promising himself many years of sen- 
sual enjoyment, that his hour was at 
hand ; that he must immediately quit 
his earthly possessions. He is called a 
fool ; not because he knew not how to 
get riches, that he seems to have well 
understood ; neither because he got 
them by unlawful means, with that he 
is not charged ; but because he knew 
not the proper use of them ; because he 
labored for what would not profit him. 
It was not wrong for him to eat, drink, 
and be merry, had he done it with mo- 
deration, and in the fear of God. But 
he trusted in uncertain riches, instead 
of trusting in the living God ; he reck- 
oned with too much confidence on 
many years to come, forgetting the un- 
certainty of life. He seems to have con- 
sulted only his own gratification, not 
the good of others. To such a man 
how alarming, to be told, This night 
thy soul shall he required of thee ! This 
was what he had not expected; for this 
he was not prepared. My barns! my 
fruits ! my goods! Poor man! to-mor- 
row thou wilt have neither barns, nor 
fruits, nor goods ; those will all then 



z 



266 



ON DEATH. 



belong to other owners. Whose shall 
those things be, which thou hast pro- 
vided? They may fall into the hands 
of thankless heirs ; or of spendthrifts, 
who will scatter more rapidly than thou 
hast gathered them. Thy stewardship 
is ended ; but thou must give an ac- 
count of it. If instead of laying up 
every thing for thyself, where thou must 
lose it all, thou hadst laid up treasure 
in heaven, by doing good to others ; thy 
properly would have been secure, and 
thy reward great. In the midst of 
worldly concerns, men are too apt to 
forget they must die ; till the hand of 
death is upon them : they have too 
much to do in this world to think of 
the next : they are too much concerned 
about the body, to take care of the soul: 
they are too much occupied with earthly 
things, to think of and prepare for hea- 
ven. 

III. Let me exhort you to prepare for 
death. 

As death is so certain, and the time 
when we shall die so uncertain; it is 
our wisdom to be always ready. The 
next moment to you after you close 
your eves in death, will be that w r hen 



ON DEATH. 



267 



you shall rise and come to judgment 
In the same state as you die you must 
rise from the dead, and stand before 
your judge. Examine then how mat- 
ters stand between you and your God. 
Are you in that state in which you 
would wish to be found, when called to 
your last account? Death can produce 
no moral change. You can carry no- 
thing out of the world with you, but 
your virtues and your vices, your good 
and evil deeds. These you cannot 
leave behind, as you must all earthly 
possessions ; they will accompany you 
to the judgment seat. Seek to be de- 
livered from what you would not wish 
to appear with you there, and to acquire 
and do what will then be approved. 

How terrible must death be to a man 
in his sins ! How dreadful to depart 
this life with a guilty conscience, under 
the dominion of evil passions, burdened 
with iniquity, enslaved by evil habits, 
and filled with bitter remembrances ! — 
How painful it must be in the last hour 
to review a mispent life ; mercies abused ; 
duties left undone; sins unrepented ; 
the great salvation neglected ; injuries 
done to others that cannot be repaired; 
and to leave behind an evil example, 
which must either excite abhorrence, or 



268 



ON DEATH. 



corrupt others ! How alarming lo think 
of meeting him as a judge, whose name 
you have professed, but whose laws 
you have not obeyed, whose example 
you have not followed ! To him who 
leaves the world in his sins, there must 
be a fearful looking for of judgment. 

Trust not to a death bed repentance, 
your soul may be required of you 
when there is no space left for repent- 
ance. Besides, repentance is not the 
work of a moment ; a real moral change 
cannotbe effected instantaneously; much 
less an entire change of heart and life, 
Though the gates of mercy are never 
closed to the penitent sinner, we cannot 
encourage you to trust to what may be 
done in the last hour; there may then 
be no time for a change. If not cut off 
suddenly, what are you to do on a bed 
of sickness, languishing in pain; all 
your feelings agitated, and nature scarce- 
ly capable of sustaining the weight of 
suffering you may be then called to en- 
dure? You will have enough to do, with- 
out leaving so great a work to so criti- 
cal a time, when it is likely to be found 
impracticable. Repentance can be of 
no avail, unless it includes a real moral 
change. The longer you delay it, the 
more difficult it will be. You cannot 



ON DEATH. 



269 



be prepared to die any further than you 
depart from iniquity. 

That you may be delivered from the 
sting of death, seek to understand the 
gospel of Jesus Christ. What is to 
support you in a dying hour, if you re- 
main strangers to the assurances of di- 
vine mercy and forgiveness, and the 
hope of eternal life, which the gospel 
contains ? While you have health and 
all the means of improvement which 
God hath provided ; work out your own 
salvation with fear and trembling. Seek 
ye the Lord while he may be found, call 
ye upon him while he is yet near : let the 
wicked forsake his way, and the unright- 
eous man his thoughts : let him return 
unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him ; and to our God, for he will 
abundantly pardon. To-day if ye will 
hear his voice harden not your hearts. 
Fly for refuge, to lay hold of the hope 
set before you. Return, like the prodi- 
gal, to your heavenly Father ; he delight- 
eth in mercy, and is ever ready to 
forgive. 

To be prepared to die like a christian, 
you must live the life of a christian. 
Let the mind be in you, which was 
also in Christ Jesus. Conform your- 
selves to his example. Let your con- 
z2 



270 



ON DEATH. 



versation be as becometh the gospel. 
Do the will of God, and perfect holiness 
in his fear. A holy life will prepare 
you for a happy death- Live to Christ, 
and you will sleep in him, and reign 
with him. That at your last hour you 
may have nothing to do but to die, 
leave no duties unperformed. Consider 
what you have to do for God and his 
glory, for Christ and his cause in the 
world : you must act the part of a good 
and faithful servant, if you would re- 
ceive the good and faithful servant's 
reward. Consider what services you 
owe to your fellow creatures, especially 
what you have to do for your family, 
and those entrusted to your care. Set 
your house in order ; make that ar- 
rangement respecting your property and 
worldly affairs, which may be best for 
those you leave behind, and relieve you 
from anxiety in your last moments : 
this is an important duty. How painful 
it will be, if you have to reflect, at that 
solemn period, that you have been an 
unfaithful steward of the manifold gifts 
of God ; an unfaithful servant to Jesus 
Christ, and negligent in your duty 
towards the dear objects of your affec- 
tion, whom you must leave behind* 



ON DEATH. 



271 



Finally, Prepare for death by laying 
up treasure in heaven, which is done by 
doing good upon earth ; by letting the 
words of Christ, which are the words 
of eternal life, dwell richly in you ; by 
devout meditations on the life to come, 
and the glories of it ; by setting your 
affections on things above; by cultiva- 
ting a devout frame of mind and pious 
confidence in God, and by an unde- 
viating course of piety, virtue, and 
goodness. 

When your heart and strength fail 
you, may you find that God is the 
strength of your heart, and be enabled 
to rejoice in him as your portion for 
ever. Amen. 



DISCOURSE XIII. 



THE CAUSES AND CURE OF THE FEAR OF 
DEATH. 

— 0S0*0 

HEB. ii. lb. 

And deliver them who through fear of 
death, were all their life time subject 
to bondage. 

The fear of death maybe salutary; it 
is always painful ; it sometimes embit- 
ters life and all its enjoyments. It 
alarms the rich man in the midst of his 
possessions; it makes the mighty man 
tremble in the height of his power ; it 
sometimes spreads gloom over the gaiety 
of youth, and infuses sadness in the bo- 
som of the pious and virtuous. In 
some instances it inflicts more pain than 
death itself. Is there no remedy for an 



THE FEAR OF DEATH. 273 



evil so generally felt? It is in vain to 
say, that as death cannot be avoided, 
the apprehension of it ought not to agi- 
tate our minds; its unavoidableness 
will make it the more alarming. 

The gospel alone discovers a remedy 
for the fear of death, which is capable 
of universal application : it shows that 
Jesus died to deliver us from it; not by 
making us immortal in the present state, 
but by giving us the hope of immor- 
tality, and all the means necessary to 
prepare us for a happy life beyond the 
grave. One man hath triumphed over 
death ; rising from the dead he led cap- 
tivity captive, and hath placed the king 
of terrors before us like a conquered 
enemy in chains, over whom we also 
may triumph. Still death is to many 
an object of terror, and will continue 
such, until they attain those views, and 
rise to that moral state ; which will re- 
pel the gloomy apprehensions it inspires. 

The love of life, which is a radical 
principle in human nature, naturally 
leads men to consider death as an enemy ; 
and to shrink from its stroke as designed 
to level them with the clods of the val* 
ley : hence arises the fear of it, as of an 
event which will terminate our existence 
and every enjoyment. The light of na~ 



274 THE CAUSES AND CURE 

ture, unaided by divine revelation, could 
not raise man above the fear of death. 
Stoical apathy might benumb the feel- 
ings ; superstition might infatuate so far 
as to exclude sober reflection : vrild he- 
roism might lead some persons to brave 
destruction, and overwhelming calamity, 
bearing down reason, might produce a 
dereliction of life ; but the gospel was 
necessary to enable man, in the calm 
exercise of reason, to meet the king of 
terrors unappalled, to look forward to 
the hour of dissolution with unruffled 
feelings, equally remote from insensi- 
bility and fanaticism. 

The gospel does not deliver from the 
fear of death by destroying, or even 
weakening, the love of life: but by 
leading us to a right estimate of the 
present state of existence, as the mere 
infancy of our being ? by placing death 
before us in a new light, with a softened 
aspect, stripped of its terrific array ; 
and by filling us with the hope of im- 
mortality. It teaches us to cherish life 
to its latest moment, and to improve the 
whole of it as connected with eternity : 
not to get rid of the fear of death by 
banishing the thought of it, nor by 
taking refuge in the idle dreams of 
superstition, and the airy flights of en- 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 



275 



thusiasm ; but by crediting the decla* 
rations of divine truth, by cherishing 
the immortal hope which it reveals, and 
living in obedience to its precepts. — 
What the gospel teaches, on this impor- 
tant subject, is not less rational than it 
is consolatory. I shall now consider 
the causes and cure of the fear of death. 

I. The fear of death may arise from 
wrong notions of its cause ; in this case 
the removal of that fear depends on the 
attainment of better views. 

Death comes not by chance ; it is the 
appointment of God. is appointed 
to men once to die. Our heavenly Fa- 
ther, who gave us existence, in whom 
we live and move and have our being, 
hath constituted us mortal, and or- 
dained that death should intervene be- 
tween the present life and the future.— 
The same wisdom and goodness which 
hath appointed that we should live, hath 
also appointed that we should die, and 
will place us in a state of rest in the 
grave. Death, as well as life, is the al- 
lotment of a gracious and merciful God. 
In the state of the dead, as well as among 
the living, we shall be the objects of our 
heavenly Fathers love; he will still 



276 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



hold us in his hand, and do with us 
what is wisest and best. 

Death is not a merely arbitrary ap- 
pointment. God doth nothing merely to 
show his power ; there is fitness and wis- 
dom in all his appointments. Mortality is 
the present condition of our nature, and 
is essential to the state of discipline in 
which God hath placed us; of which 
death is the closing scene. If such a 
system of discipline as that under which 
we live be necessary and salutary, then 
mortality and death are necessary and 
salutary ; and why should they alarm 
us? Can obedient children have any 
thing to fear from the appointments of 
a gracious and merciful Father ? 

The appointment of death is not the 
effect of the anger of God. All his 
appointments are founded in goodness; 
for he is infinitely good : consequently 
nothing can proceed from him, but what 
proceeds from goodness. Who can 
believe that, merely on account of the 
offence of the first man, God inflicts 
capital punishment on ail his posterity; 
seeing he hath declared, the son shall 
not bear the iniquity of the father? If 
human nature was constituted at first 
as it has been ever since, man must have 
jbeen mortal from the creation ; though 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 277 



bis mortality was not announced, nor 
the sentence, unto dust thou shalt return, 
passed, before he sinned. The righte- 
ous as well as the wicked, even infants, 
who were never capable of sinning, 
die ; how then can death be in every in- 
stance a punishment? It is to be re- 
garded as a punishment only when 
inflicted as the penalty of personal 
crimes. 

Death is not a positive evil ; it is 
such only comparatively, as it is con- 
trary to our wishes, gives pain, and 
interrupts sensible existence and enjoy- 
ment ; viewed as the appointment of 
God it is not an evil, but a wise and be- 
nevolent regulation of providence ; an 
event comprehended in a system, which 
is throughout good. 

2. Wrong views of the article of death 
itself may increase the fear of it. 

What is death ? It is opposed to life, 
and is the privation of it. The Mosaic 
account of the creation illustrates this. 
Adam when made of the dust of the 
ground, though y^t an inanimate form, 
without motion or thought, is called 
man. When God breathed inco him 
the breath of life, he became a living 
2 A 



278 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



creature; then he had motion, sensation, 
thought, and the power of acting. The 
difference between a living and a dead 
man is, the former has the breath of 
life ; the latter has it not. When man 
dies he becomes as Adam was before 
the breath of life entered into him ; mo- 
tionless and insensible. The heart no 
longer beats, nor do the lungs heave ; 
the senses are completely closed ; the 
brain ceases to act ; the living creature 
is become inanimate ; decomposition 
gradually takes place; and man mingles 
with the dust. 

The sacred writers speak of death, 
as a sleep ; of good men sleeping with 
their fathers ; of christians sleeping in 
Jesus ; and of Chrisi's being the first 
fruits of them that slept. Death is fitly 
called sleep ; because, like men in a 
profound sleep, the dead are inactive 
and insensible ; because death is a state 
of rest ; there the ivicked cease from 
troubling, there the weary are at rest; 
and because it is only a temporary ces- 
sation of thought and consciousness. 
Were no future life provided for man, 
death could not properly be called a 
sleep, as it would be a total loss of 
being. 

This view of death is calculated to 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 279 



divest it of much of its gloom. Life is 
the clay appointed for labor, trial, dis- 
cipline, and improvement, to prepare 
us for a future state. Why should we 
fear, at the close of this day, to retire 
to rest, under the guardian care of our 
Father and our God. The laboring 
man cheerfully retires, after the toils of 
the day, and rests till the morning: so 
may the good man retire from the labors 
of life at the close of it, to rest in peace, 
and enjoy the undisturbed repose of the 
grave, till the morning of the resurrec- 
tion, Why should we indulge painful 
apprehensions in the prospect of the 
slumbers of the tomb, seeing we shall 
rest under the watchful eye of our 
heavenly Father, till called forth to en- 
joy an eternal day? The next moment 
to us, after we close our eyes in death, 
will be that in which we are called 
forth by our beloved master, to join the 
society of the blessed in the immortal 
state. 

The article of death may not be at- 
tended with any severe or long conti- 
nued pain. It may, indeed, be brought 
on by lingering disease, and long con- 
tinued suffering ; but these are not 
death, they precede it. Death may take 
place without any violent struggle of 



280 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



nature, and be like suddenly swooning 
or gently falling asleep. About these 
things we should not be alarmed, nor 
indulge painful anxiety. Men frequently 
suffer much more in a state of sickness, 
from which they recover, than in actu- 
ally dying. Let us think of dying as 
of falling asleep. The grand thing we 
should be concerned about, is, to be al- 
ways ready, to improve the day of life, 
to prepare for a future state, to have our 
hearts settled and tixed, trusting in the 
Lord ; then we need not be alarmed at 
the approach of death. » 

3. Doubts respecting a future life, fill 
the prospect of dissolution with gloom, 
and strengthen the fear of death. 

The heathen, who had no divine re- 
velation, when bereaved of their rela- 
tions and friends, sorrowed as men with- 
out hope. Death was to them a subject 
of the greatest terror. How terrific it 
would appear to us, if we had no pro- 
spect of a resurrection ; no hope of eter- 
nal life! All, beyond the present 
scenes, would be darkness and eternal 
night. Death would, to our view 7 , be 
the total loss of being, and the grave 
would seem to swallow us up for ever. 



0F THE FEAR OF DEATH. 281 



Who would not tremble at the thought 
of sinking into nothing, of never again 
beholding the works of God, nor having 
any place in the rational creation ? But 
we are not left amidst the shades of 
death ; it is virtually abolished ; life and 
immortality are brought to light by the 
gospel. The great object of the mis- 
sion of Jesus, was to establish the doc- 
trine of immortality, to communicate 
eternal life. He plainly taught the doc- 
trine of the resurrection of the dead ; 
and confirmed it by his own death and 
resurrection. Being assured of a future 
life, the gloom of death is dispelled, we 
no longer regard it as the final end of 
our being, the utter destruction of 
thought and consciousness ; but as the 
passage to eternal life and glory. 

That the light of the gospel may 
scatter the shades of death from before 
us, dispel its gloom from our minds, 
and fill us with hope and joy, it is neces- 
sary that we should let it shine in our 
hearts ; make ourselves familiarly ac- 
quainted with the words of eternal life; 
and seek, by an attention to the evidence 
of their truth, to have our faith firmly 
established. Subjects will affect us 
only as they abide in our thoughts ; we 
can enjoy the consolation of the gospel, 

2 A 2 



282 THE CAUSES AND CURE 

only as we meditate upon it, and live 
under its influence. Let us keep in re- 
membrance our high destination, as 
creatures formed for immortality, the 
abounding grace of God in the free gift 
which is come upon all men to justifica- 
tion of life, and the generous love of the 
Savior, in dying for us, that we might 
have life through his name. 

4. Death ynust be an object of terror to 
all those whose moral state is bad. 

Among the professors of the gospel 
many fear death, not because they 
doubt whether they shall be raised from 
the dead, but because they dread a fu- 
ture retribution. To those who live in 
sin, or in the conscious neglect of duty ; 
though they should have no doubt of a 
future life, death must be an alarming 
subject. The guilty cannot have that 
confidence in God, which is necessary 
to remove the fear of it. In no state 
can wicked men enjoy true peace ; their 
guilty feelings banish it from their 
breasts; their evil dispositions and 
practices prevent their finding rest to 
their souls. They cherish sin, which 
is the sting of death, and must feel the 
w ound it gives. There is no way for 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 283 

such persons to be delivered from the 
fear of death, but by repentance and re- 
formation. The gates of salvation are 
open to them ; if they turn from their 
sins, take refuge in the mercy of God, 
which he hath revealed by Jesus Christ, 
and become obedient to the gospel they 
may be delivered from the fear of death. 
If we would be preserved from bondage, 
and look forward to the hour of disso- 
lution without terror, we must attend 
diligently to our moral state ; make it 
our daily study to correct whatever is 
improper in our temper and conduct; 
and seek to have a conscience without 
offence, and to preserve our confidence 
in God unshaken. 

5. An inordinate attachment to worldly 
things, will make death terrible. 

The man whose portion is in this life, 
whose affections are set on earthly 
things, who has sought no happiness 
but what this world can afford, may 
well fear to die. Death will deprive 
him of what he values most; will cut 
him off from his only inheritance. On 
the contrary, the man who seeks a better 
portion than this world can give, whose 
citizenship is in heaven, whose affection 



284 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



is set on things above, whose inheritance 
is his God, can meet death as the mes- 
senger who removes him from his earth- 
ly tabernacle, that he may enter a 
house not made with hands, a building 
of God, eternal in the heavens, where 
he has been laying up treasure which 
he must die to receive. 

6. Doubts respecting the mercy of God 

ivill sharpen the sting of death. 

Man, conscious that he is a sinner, 
cannot avoid the painful apprehension 
of the divine displeasure, which will 
make him tremble in the prospect of 
death, anv further than he attains that 
confidence in the mercy of God which 
will enable him to rely on him for free 
forgiveness. God is plenteous in mercy 
and ever ready to forgive. True peni- 
tents can have no reason to doubt his 
mercy. On the ground of merit we 
shall none of us obtain salvation ; but 
through the mercy of God in Jesus 
Christ we may hope for deliverance. 

7. Nature revolts at the thought of death. 

Who can think of being separated 
from all the living, of becoming food for 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 285 



worms, of lying insensible in the dust, 
and becoming like the clods of the 
valley, without feeling the chilling in- 
fluence of the tomb? Who can close 
his eyes on all that is fair and lovely in 
creation, on the beautiful and interest- 
ing scene of things we now behold, 
without deep regret? To dispel this 
sadness, it should be remembered, that 
the gospel shows death to be only a 
temporary cessation of life and enjoy- 
ment ; that we die that we may live 
again in a better state ; that we are 
turned to dust that we may revive in 
more perfect forms of existence; and 
close our eyes on present scenes, that 
we may open them hereafter to behold 
every thing in clearer light and in 
brighter glory. 

8. Unavoidable ignorance respecting the 
time and manner of our death, and how 
and where tee shall exist hereafter, may 
produce painful anxiety . 

We are ignorant of the time and 
manner of our dissolution ; but why 
should this trouble us ? We are always 
in our heavenly Father's hands, and 
nothing can take place without his 
knowledge and permission. He per- 



286 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



formeth all things for us. The time 
when we shall die, and the circum- 
stances which will bring on our death, 
he perfectly knows; these things are 
under his direction. What then have 
we to fear? Being every moment under 
the care of our God, who direeteth 
every thing in wisdom and goodness, 
we are always safe ; living or dying we 
are his. 

Though we have the hope of eternal 
life, we are unavoidably ignorant of 
the manner in which we shall exist, and 
the circumstances in which we shall be 
placed hereafter ; but this should give 
us no painful concern. God, who made 
us what we now are, who will raise us 
from the dead, will so re-organize and 
constitute us, as shall best fit us for the 
state and society in which we shall then 
be placed. He will appoint our abode 
where it will be best for us to be, and 
prepare for us the most suitable portion. 
From his known wisdom and goodness, 
it may be concluded, he will not fail 
to give to every man all the happiness 
his moral state qualifies him to enjoy; 
and that he will subject no one to any 
more pain and suffering than his moral 
state renders wise and good for him. 
Happiness and misery must always de- 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 



237 



pend on the moral states of men. The 
righteous are assured that, though it 
doth not yet appear what they shall be, 
when Christ shall appear they shall be 
like him, This should remove every 
painful apprehension, and lead them to 
entire confidence in God, and perfect 
resignation to his will. 

9. The imperfections of good men may 
produce some painful emotions when 
death approaches. 

The best of men are conscious of 
many defects ; their moral state is not 
so perfect as they wish it to be: if they 
might live longer they might attain to 
higher degrees of moral excellence. 
Such persons should remember, that 
God doth not require us to be more 
perfect than he has formed vis capable 
of being. It is sincere, not perfect, obe- 
dience he expects. He looketh at the 
heart; and will accept us according to 
the purity of our hearts, and the up- 
rightness of our intentions. Like as a 
father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieih them that fear him: for he know- 
eth our frame : he remember el h thai we 
are dust, He always knows whether, 
or not, if we were permitted to remain 



288 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



longer in the present state, we should 
make further improvement. He will 
remove us from this world, at such time 
as seemeth best to his infinite wisdom 
and goodness. He can never do us any 
harm, and will not fail to do us good 
continually. 

10. The tender feelings and affections, 
tv hick unite man to his fellow crea- 
tures may make him shrink from death. 

The sympathies of nature, and the 
affections of the human heart, unite men 
in society, and produce a thousand 
endearments. To all these, death is 
hostile. It breaks the tenderest ties ; it 
dashes to the ground the cup of social 
enjoyment ; and spreads gloom and 
sadness through the abodes of light and 
joy. Who can think of a total separa- 
tion from dear relatives and friends 
without some degree of anguish? But 
let us remember, the separation is but 
temporary, the ties of mutual love, 
though broken, are not destroyed; they 
will be revived in a happier state; we 
shall be reunited hereafter with those 
we love; painful separations will be 
no more ; every virtuous sympathy and 
generous affection will be perpetuated, 
and matured to perfection. 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 



289 



Some are removed by death when 
their children, and near relatives, most 
need their protection, instruction, and 
assistance: this must be painful. But 
in this case it is consolatory to reflect, 
that our heavenly Father is the gracious 
Father of our children, and of all who 
are dear to us. We may leave them 
with entire confidence in his hands ; he 
will watch over them ; our God will be 
their God ; he will do for them all that 
is right and good. 

11. Some are cut off in the midst of 
their days, and of a career of useful- 
?iess; this is distressing . 

Who can help lamenting, when worth 
is cut off in its prime, and talents and 
virtues, which might bless the world, 
are swallowed up prematurely in the 
grave ! In such cases, however, we are 
bound to adore the inscrutable ways of 
providence, and believe that every thing 
that God doth is right. Who would not 
wish to live so long as he can render 
himself a blessing? The apprehension 
of being cut off in the midst of impor- 
tant labors, before projected plans of 
usefulness can be realized, must pro- 
duce painful feelings. But we should 
2 B 



290 THE CAUSES AND CURE 



remember, if we be removed, God can 
find other and better instruments to 
carry forward whatever will be useful. 
His wise and beneficent plans will go 
on, and his gracious designs will be ac- 
complished, when we are silent in the 
dust; and he will call us forth from the 
tomb, to behold a universe of virtue 
and happiness, 

12. The fear of death may arise from 
physical causes. 

Men of the best information and the 
greatest moral w r orth ; in consequence 
of a diseased state of the frame, may 
be in bondage through the fear of death. 
In some instances, this will admit of no 
remedy. Physical means may in many 
instances remove, or alleviate, feelings 
which are truly distressing. If the 
sufferer can be convinced that the gloom 
of his mind arises not from a moral, but 
from some physical cause, this may 
help to relieve him. There is no moral 
remedy so likely to be effectual, as just 
views of the character, perfections, de- 
signs, and government of God, and the 
unbounded riches of his grace in Jesus 
Christ. 

A man's future happiness, or misery, 



OF THE FEAR OF DEATH. 291 

depends not on the feelings with which 
he departs from this life ; but on his 
real character and moral state. A bad 
man under the influence of some strong 
delusion, may die rejoicing, and go 
down to the pit with a lie in his right 
hand. A good man, in consequence of 
the nature of the disease which afflicts 
him, may have his last moments filled 
with gloom and sadness. God will ren- 
der to every man, not according to his 
frames and feelings, but according to 
his deeds. If we live well, we cannot 
die otherwise than well, whatever our 
last feelings may be ; nor can any thing 
deprive us of our future reward. An 
enlightened mind, a good heart, and a 
virtuous and benevolent life, will pre- 
pare us for happiness, both in this world, 
and in the world to come. 



DISCOURSE XIV 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT, 
2 COR. V, 10. 

We must all appear before the judgment 
seat of Christ ; that every one may re- 
ceive the tilings done in his body, ac- 
cording to that he hath done, whether 
it be good or bad, 

The moral government of God, the ac- 
countability of man, the general good 
of the intelligent creation, the promotion 
of virtue and the suppression of vice, 
and the improvement of both the virtu- 
ous and the vicious, require that there 
should be a future judgment and righte- 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 293 



ous retribution. Moral government 
would be at an end, if the subjects of 
it were never brought into judgment; 
and its ends would be defeated, without 
a righteous retribution. Accountability 
cannot exist, without a judge, to whom 
man is accountable; and without ac- 
tions being followed by consequences 
suited to their nature. The good of the 
intelligent creation is secured, as moral 
excellence is promoted, and by all 
moral qualities and actions receiving 
their due recompense. Virtue is pro- 
moted by being made to appear in its 
true colors, and by being crowned with 
glory and honor. Vice is suppressed 
by being detected and exposed, branded 
with infamy, and punished by a judicial 
sentence. Both the virtuous and the 
vicious must be improved by a declara- 
tory judgment, which will expose every 
thing to view as it really is ; by a righte- 
ous retribution, which will fix upon men 
all the consequences of their actions, 
by their being led to see that virtue is 
happiness, and that vice is misery. Such 
is the judgment described in our text ; 
and it is as perfectly agreeable to rea- 
son, as it is clearly a doctrine of scrip- 
ture. 

Even in the present life, the doctrine 
2 b 2 



294 ON" FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



of a judgment to come, is calculated to 
produce the most important moral ef- 
fects. Men may evade human laws ; 
they may elude the detection of earthly 
judges, and fly from their sentence ; but 
they cannot escape the righteous judg- 
ment of God. The man, who considers 
himself as continually acting under the 
eye of the Almighty, and that he is every 
moment accountable to him ; who re- 
members that every work will be brought 
into judgment, with every secret thing, 
whether it be good or evil ; and that he 
must, hereafter, reap the painful or plea- 
surable fruits of what he sow T s in the 
present life : will stand in awe, and not 
dare knowingly to sin. The prospect 
of the future public vindication, and 
full recompense, of every good work, 
will support the righteous under unjust 
reproaches, and inspire them with reso- 
lution to persevere in virtue and good- 
ness : while the apprehension of as pub- 
lic an exposure, and of indignation and 
wrath, tribulation and anguish, as the 
recompense of evil doing, will fill the 
wicked with terror, and restrain them 
in their evil courses. Even Felix, the 
Judge, trembled, while he heard Paul, 
the prisoner, reasoning concerning judg- 
ment to come. 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 295 

First, Let us consider before whom, as 
Judge, and ivliat judgment seat, ice 
must appear. 

Secondly, Who are the persons that 
must appear before this tribunal ; for 
what, and according to what rule, they 
will be judged, 

Thirdly, The nature and design of the 
judgment. 

First, Let us consider, before wham, as 
Judge, and what judgment seat, ice 
must appear. 

The scriptures plainly declare, that 
God is the supreme Judge of the whole 
earth ; that he will judge the world in 
righteousness; that every one of us 
must give an account of himself to God, 
who will render to every man according 
to his deeds. Yet we are also told in 
scripture that the Father judgeth no 
man, but hath committed all judgment 
to the Son ; and that Christ is ordained 
to be the Judge of quick and dead : in 
our text, it is asserted, we must all ap- 
pear before his judgment seat. In these 
declarations of scripture there is no con- 
tradiction. God will judge the world, 
the judgment is his; but he will not 
show himself personally in the admi- 
nistration of it; he will not do it by his 
own immediate act : it is by the man 



298 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



whom he hath ordained, as his agent 
and representative, that he will judge 
the world. The work of judgment, as 
well as that of salvation, will be carried 
into effect by a Mediator ; that is, by a 
person whom God hath appointed to 
act between himself and men. In Eng- 
land the courts of judicature are the 
king's courts, the proceedings are in the 
king's name, and he, virtually, presides 
in the courts ; as the judges receive their 
appointment and authority from him, 
and are his representatives in judicial 
matters. God will judge the world by 
Jesus Christ, as he hath appointed him 
to be Judge, given him authority to ex- 
ecute judgment, endowed him with all 
the qualifications necessary in this great 
work, and will actually accomplish it 
by him. 

It is by a man God will judge man- 
kind. Our Lord himself expressly de- 
clares, that the Father hath given him 
authority to execute judgment, because 
he is the Son of man: and Paul asserts, 
that God, hath appointed a day, in the 
which he will judge the tcorld in righte- 
ousness by that mart whom he hath or- 
dained; w hereof he hath given assurance 
unto all men, in that he raised him from 
the dead. Those who say that, if Jesus 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



297 



Christ be not God, he cannot judge the 
world, seem to contradict, not only the 
apostle Paul, but our Lord himself. 
Our Lord and his apostle plainly taught, 
that the Son of man, a man who died 
and was raised from the dead, will be 
the Judge, and will execute the judg- 
ment. Those who contend that Christ 
must be God, in order to his being quali- 
fied to judge the world, forget that God 
is as capable of judging the world by 
a man, as that man would be of judg- 
ing it, if he himself were God ; and 
that, had he been God, he would have 
had no need of authority from the Father 
to execute judgment, as his own au- 
thority would have been equal to the 
Father's. 

The suitableness of a man to be the 
judge of men, is evident, and the ap- 
pointment of him ought to be thankfully 
acknowledged. The wisdom and jus- 
tice of the maxim, that men ought to be 
judged by their peers, by those who can 
have a common feeling and interest with 
them, is universally admitted. The per- 
son whom God hath appointed to be 
our judge, can enter into our feelings ; 
he knows by experience what human 
infirmity means; for he was made in all 
things like unto his brethren, and was 



208 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



tempted in all points as they are. He 
knows how to have compassion on them 
that are out of the way, how to unite 
mercy with judgment. 

Had God left us to choose what per- 
son we would have to be our judge, is 
there any one we could have preferred 
before Jesus Christ? From what other 
person could we all expect such com- 
plete justice, such strict impartiality, 
such merciful allowance? Our Judge is 
the man who loved us more than his 
own life, who laid down his life for us, 

There can be no reason to think his 
nature will be changed when he appears 
as a Judge ; that the Lamb of God will 
be transformed into a devouring Lion> 
eager to tear the prey ; that the mild and 
merciful Jesus will become angry and 
vindictive : yet some christians have 
talked of his being an angry Judge; 
but, even an earthly judge, who should 
discover anger and vindictiveness, in the 
seat of justice, would be thought unfit 
for his office. 

Because the Father hath committed 
all judgment to the Son, all men are to 
honor the Son even as they honor the 
Father: it is in his judicial capacity, as 
acting in the name and by the appoint- 
ment of God, they are to honor him. 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



299 



As his judicial power is all derived, so 
his honor arises from his derived power, 
and his ministrations ; and is not claimed 
on the ground of any thing he is, inde- 
pendently of the Father. 

His judgment seat refers to the power 
and authority with which he will appear 
and act. He wall come w ith power and 
great glory ; in the glory of his Father, 
and of his holy messengers ; and will 
be seated on the throne of his glory. 
This will be the highest tribunal ever 
erected among men ; the Judge will be 
the most pure and perfect ; the whole 
court will be the most august ; and all 
the proceedings the most solemn and 
deeply interesting. From this tribunal 
there will be no appeal ; the decision 
will be final ; the sentence of the Judge 
cannot be reversed. Among men you 
can appeal from a lower to a higher 
court ; but when you get to the throne 
you can carry your appeal no higher on 
earth. From all earthly tribunals and 
decisions, we can appeal to God; to 
that tribunal where every cause will be 
re-heard, and every decision will be re- 
judged* But this will be the supreme 
court ; here the verdict will be final. 
The decision of the judge, none will be 
able to resist ; it will have complete ef- 



300 ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



feet. The power to execute will be 
equal to the right to determine. It will 
be the judgment of the great God ; 
conducted and executed by the man 
whom he hath ordained. 

When the judgment seat of Christ is 
called " a great white throne," the lan- 
guage may be figurative, but the ideas 
intended to be impressed on the mind, 
are most grand and important. It will 
be a throne founded in infinite perfection, 
for the exercise of the highest and most 
extensive authority. All that proceeds 
from it will be clear as the light. No- 
thing can be concealed at this tribunal, 
nor any disguise, however specious, 
elude detection and exposure. This 
seat of judgment will not be disgraced 
by ignorance and prejudice, nor pol- 
luted by injustice. No bribes can 
here have influence, nor local and party 
interests give a bias. Every thing will 
be made clear and manifest, that all 
may see the righteous judgment of God. 
Unsullied purity will mark every judi- 
cial step, and perfect equity every deci- 
sion. 

This court will be held with the deep 
solemnity and bright display of ma- 
jesty, which become the distinguished 
person who presides in it; the great 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



301 



Being whom he represents; and the in- 
finite importance of the business to be 
transacted. The holy messengers of 
Jesus will attend him, and be associated 
with him in the proceedings of that 
great day. An assembled world will 
be witnesses of, and interested in, what 
then takes place. The pomp of earthly 
courts will vanish, and the brightness 
of worldly glory fade, before the ap- 
pearance of this great judge. 

Secondly, Lei us consider who are the 
persons thai shall appear before this 
tribunal ; for what, and by what rule, 
they shall be judged. 

Christians, in particular, must stand 
before the judgment seat of Christ, 
He is their master, and will come to 
reckon with his servants, to give to 
every man according to his works. 
Christianity, so far from diminishing, in- 
creases our responsibility ; as the higher 
privileges and advantages which it con- 
fers, lay us under higher obligations, 
and will subject us to a stricter ac- 
count. 

Thou ; meat will be^in at the 
house of God, it wil! not end tfifere* 
The whole 



302 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



all tongues and languages, the living 
and the dead y must appear before this 
judgment seat. Men of all ranks and 
conditions, of all characters and de- 
scriptions, from the king to the beggar : 
the inhabitants of every climate, all the 
generations which have in succession 
peopled the earth, must appear before 
this tribunal. If all be not judged at 
one time, they will progressively ; for 
Christ will judge the quick and the 
dead at his coming, and in his kingdom. 

With respect to the human race at 
large, however, there is a considerable 
exception to be made. Multitudes, 
who have been born, will not be judged, 
for this clear reason ; because they died 
before they attained the use of reason 
and moral consciousness; as such, be- 
fore they were capable of either good 
or evil. Accountability can only com- 
mence with reason and moral conscious- 
ness, and continue so long as they con- 
tinue. Those who are to be judged will 
be judged according to their works; 
but those who die in infancy have done 
no works; for what then can they be 
judged ? They have committed no 
crimes ; they cannot be punished ; they 
have performed no obedience ; they are 
entitled to no reward. They will un- 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 303 



doubtedly be raised to life and happi- 
ness; but they cannot be objects of 
judgment. When John said he saw 
the dead, small and great, brought to 
judgment; by the small he could not 
mean little children; for he says of all 
whom he saw, they ivere judged accord- 
ing to their works; but this cannot be 
true of infants who have done no works. 
By small and great he must necessarily 
be understood to mean, persons of dif- 
ferent ranks and conditions. Excepting 
those who were incapable of discerning 
between good and evil, and of perform- 
ing moral actions, the whole human race 
will appear before Christ as their Judge. 

Let every man consider the subject 
as it relates to himself, and involves 
what will be to him most momentous. 
Every one of us must, individually, ap- 
pear before the judgment seat. Are we 
prepared for this ? We profess the name 
of Christ; we call him our Lord and 
Savior : are we prepared to meet him as 
our Judge? Will the part we are acting 
authorize the conclusion, that we shall 
see his face with joy, and not be ashamed 
before him at his coming? If we be 
alarmed at the thought of this event, 
while distant, what will our feelings be 
when it actually takes place ? 



304 ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



The end for which all must appear 
before the judgment seat of Christ, is 
declared to be, That every one may re- 
ceive the things done in his body, accord- 
ing to that he hath done, whether it he 
good or bad. Reason dictates, and the 
scriptures plainly teach, that it is only 
for their works men will be judged. 

None will be called to account for 
Adam's sin, nor for anv unavoidable 
consequences of it. It is impossible any 
one should, consistently with justice, be 
made accountable for what he could 
not prevent, what was done without his 
knowledge, and even ages before he was 
born. All the effects of Adam's sin will 
be removed by the resurrection, which 
will precede the judgment. In the 
scriptures not the least mention is made 
of men's being judged, or made ac- 
countable for any actions but their own. 

In that great day, every one must 
stand or fall according to his own 
works. However persons may please 
themselves now with the idea that they 
are clothed with the righteousness of 
another, and shall be finally approved 
for virtues and excellencies which are 
not their own, they will not be able, at 
the judgment seat, to hide and shelter 
themselves under such a borrowed robe. 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 305 



nor to shine in ornaments which belong 
not to them : if their own works will 
not cover them, they must appear naked, 
and be exposed to the dreadful conse- 
quences. It is not what Christ or any- 
other person has done; but what them- 
selves have done, will avail them at the 
great tribunal. 

Whatever stress may now be laid, 
either on faith, or on the want of it ; 
however some may build their salvation 
on faith alone, and assert that others 
will finally perish because they are not 
of the true faith ; the scriptures plainly 
teach, that, when all shall stand before 
the judgment seat of Christ, none will 
be justified merely for their faith, nor 
condemned for not believing aright ; but 
that they will be justified or condemned 
according to their works. It will not 
then be required what men have be- 
lieved, or not believed; but how they 
have acted. Opinions, whether right 
or wrong, will have influence on the 
proceedings in judgment, only as they 
have produced good or bad moral 
effects. 

God will bring every work into judg- 
ment, with every secret thing, whether it 
he good, or whether it be evil. As every 
man will be judged, simply, for what 
2c 2 



306 ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



himself hath done ; so all that he hath 
done, however secretly, must be brought 
to light; he must receive the things 
done in his body, in exact proportion to 
what he hath done: consequently there 
must be as much diversity in the re- 
wards and punishments awarded to 
mankind, as there is in their moral cha- 
racter and conduct; for no one will be 
charged with crimes which he hath not 
committed, nor have good actions placed 
to his account which he hath not per- 
formed ; and all the motives which have 
influenced different persons, their ad- 
vantages and disadvantages will be taken 
into the account. As the whole charac- 
ter and conduct will be brought into 
view, the sinner, who has repented 
of and forsaken his sins, will not be 
condemned ; nor the righteous man, 
who has turned from his righteousness, 
justified. The judgment of God will 
be according to truth, and ministered 
in perfect righteousness. 

Justice requires that what God hath 
given to be the rule of action to his 
creatures in this life, should be the rule 
by which they are judged hereafter; 
that they should be capable of under- 
standing the law by which they will be 
judged, and of perceiving to what con- 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 307 



sequences the transgression of it will 
expose them. This, the scriptures 
teach, is actually the case. Those who 
have only the light of nature to guide 
them, and the law of nature for their 
rule of action, will be judged by the 
law : hence Paul says, As many as have 
sinned ivithoul law. meaning without a 
written Jaw, shall also perish without 
law : and as may have sinned in the law, 
shall he judged by the law: that is, by 
the law which was given to be their 
rule of action. Those who live under 
the gospel will be judged by the gospel: 
so Jesus told the Jews, that the words 
which he had spoken should judge 
them at the last day. The great com- 
mands, which require love te God and 
man; and the perfect rule of action, 
Whatsoever ye would that men should do 
unto you, even so do ye unto them; are 
on a level with the understanding of 
all men ; and by these they will be 
judged. The consequences of trans* 
grossing the divine laws are plainly 
set forth : Indignation and wrath, tribu- 
lation and anguish, upon every soul of 
man that doeth evil. God will call no 
man to account for not performing im- 
possibilities ; nor condemn him for sins 
which he could not avoid, nor for the 



308 ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 

breach of impracticable commands. — 
The proceedings in judgment will be 
such as every conscience will approve; 
in their justice all rational beings will 
acquiesce. 

Thirdly, I add a few remarks on the 
nature and design of f uture judgment. 

Much of the language of scripture 
concerning future judgment may be 
figurative ; but there are leading and im- 
portant ideas of it, which the sacred 
writings plainly teach, and fully esta- 
blish: to these I shall restrict my ob- 
servations. Whether Christ will literally 
sit on a visible throne, or judgment 
seat; whether mankind will be literally 
arraigned before him, as persons to be 
tried ; and whether all the forms of trial 
in a judicial procedure will be observed, 
are matters of no great importance, and 
about which we are not capable of de- 
termining: but that he will regulate all 
things in righteousness, make every 
thing manifest as it is, award to every 
one a just retribution, and correct every 
thing that is wrong, so as to establish 
universal order and happiness, may be 
fully ascertained, and these are things of 
the utmost importance. 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



309 



The leading idea of the judgment in 
scripture is moral regulation. The 
judges of Israel were not merely per- 
sons who presided injudicial procedures, 
they were appointed to superintend and 
regulate the affairs of the nation. The 
judgment committed to Christ is the re- 
gulation of all things ; the restoration 
of universal order, peace and happiness. 
This leading view of the subject com- 
prehends every other idea of the word 
judgment. The most perfect discern- 
ment and discrimination ; the utmost 
prudence and judicious management ; 
the most righteous and authoritative de- 
cision ; and the most equitable admi- 
ili^ratloo of regards and punishments : 
are necessary to, and comprehended in, 
the perfect regulation of the moral 
world. 

1 . Future judgment will be declarative. 
It will consist in a full disclosure of all 
things, placing every character and ac- 
tion clearly in view as it really is. The 
books will a 11 be opened ; the books of 
nature and providence, of memory and 
conscience; of the law and the gospel ; 
of life and death ; that all the works 
and ways of God may be justified, and 
all flesh behold his glory. Behold the 



310 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



Lord cometh with ten thousand of his 
saints, to execute judgment upon aU, and 
to convince all that are ungodly among 
them of all their ungodly deeds which 
they have ungodly committed, and of all 
their hard speeches tvhich ungodly sinners 
have spoken against him, Such con- 
vincement will be a leading object of fu- 
ture judgment, and is essentially neces- 
sary to moral regulation, Every false 
covering will be completely removed ; 
every disguise, however specious, torn 
off. The eyes of the understanding 
will be no longer blinded, nor the heart 
hardened : men will then see things as 
they really are. Every one will be 
brought to view himself and his actions 
in a true light. Are we prepared for 
such an exposure of our whole cha- 
racter and conduct ? How vain it is to 
attempt to appear what we are not ; to 
disguise our actious, even to ourselves ; 
seeing that every thing will be made 
manifest! Let us search and try our 
wavs, and turn unto the Lord our God. 

2. It will be retributive, Every out 
will receive the things done in his body, 
according to that he hath done, whether 
it be good or bad. He will receive the 
things themselves; he will have a just 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



311 



view and sense of them ; they will re- 
main in the records of memory ; they 
will be felt in the approbation, or the 
sting, of conscience ; and will become 
the ingredients of happiness or of misery . 
When a just sense of actions is fixed in 
the mind, effects naturally arise from 
them according to their nature. For 
men to have what they have done re- 
flected back upon themselves, to receive 
it in their own minds, will be a real and 
just retribution. What extreme plea- 
sure, or pain, do men frequently derive 
from their actions, even in this life ; 
though they often reason falsely respect- 
ing them, and disguise them to them- 
selves, and are diverted in various ways 
from the impartial and close considera- 
tion of their ways and doings ! May 
it not then be concluded, they will find 
it a great reward, or a dreadful punish- 
ment, to receive the things they have 
done, and the effects arising from them, 
in a future life? As every thing will 
then be viewed in -its true lis;ht, everv 
one will be honored, or contemned, ac- 
cording to his real character and con- 
duct. Honor will be proportioned to 
moral worth, and contempt to moral de- 
formity. Every one will he placed in a 
rank, and in circumstances, suited to 



312 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 



his moral state, as evidenced by the 
things done in the body. Thus God 
will render to every man according to 
his works. 

3. Judgment ivill be corrective. What 
is the design of judicial proceedings 
among men, but the setting right what 
is wrong, the correction of irregulari- 
ties and disorders in society, the pro- 
motion of the well being of mankind ? 
However severe the punishments which 
earthly judges sometimes pronounce, it 
is always supposed their office exists 
for the good of society. A judgment 
seat erected, and a judge appointed, by 
the God of infinite goodness ; and that 
Judge the mild and merciful Jesus, 
surely authorizes the conclusion, that 
the judgment is designed to correct all 
moral disorder, and secure the well- 
being of the world. As declarative, it 
will correct the erroneous judgments of 
men ? their wrong views of human ac- 
tions, their nature and tendency. Such 
a retributive judgment, as has been de- 
scribed, will correct the false conclu- 
sions of men, respecting the ways of 
providence; put an end to their impro- 
per treatment of each other ; and can 
hardly fail of proving a wholesome dis- 



ON FUTURE JUDGMENT. 313 



cipline. A judgment, administered by 
him whom God sent to be the Savior 
of the world, may be expected to issue 
in universal good. 

Finally, Let it be our daily study to 
prepare for the solemn period, when we 
must stand before the judgment seat of 
Christ. Let us judge ourselves, that 
we may not hereafter be condemned. 
Let us give all diligence that, at the 
coming of Christ, we may be found of 
him in peace, without spot and blame- 
less. Already the messenger of death 
maybe on his way to call us hence; 
and in the state in which we die, we must 
rise and come to judgment. 



2 D 



DISCOURSE XV. 



HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE OF THE 
WICKED. 

0^0+0 

IiUKE xvi. 23. 

And in hell he lifted up his eyes being in 
torments. 

This is a tremendous subject ; but 
the due consideration of it may have a 
salutary influence, and be productive of 
important effects. Christians differ in 
their views of hell, both as to its nature 
and its duration. Some construe the 
language of scripture concerning it lite- 
rally, others understand it figuratively ; 
some suppose it will be endless ; others 
that its duration will be limited, though 



TUTU RE STATE OF THE WICKED. 315 

the period of its continuance is unknown 
to mortals. The word hell, as used in 
the sacred writings, admits of different 
interpretations. It may mean the grave 
or any covered place, or a place or 
state of suffering, either in this world 
or in the next. Its meaning in any par- 
ticular place, must be determined by 
the context, and all the circumstances 
of the subject to which it is applied. 
It is neither necessary nor right, in order 
to alarm sinners, to represent hell in a 
light revolting to reason, inconsistent 
with the character and perfections of 
God, and unauthorized by scripture. 
All our knowledge of this awful sub- 
ject must be derived from divine reve- 
lation ; the light of nature discovers 
nothing beyond what visibly appears, 
and what reason can deduce from visi- 
ble appearances. Under every view of 
future punishment, the wicked have no- 
thing to hope, but every thing to fear, 
so long as they continue to do wickedly 
the terrors of the Lord are sufficient, 
without being exaggerated, to alarm the 
stoutest hearted among them, if they 
be seriously considered ; and what is 
not considered will not impress the 
mind so as to produce a permanent ef- 
fect. It is not necessary to call in the 



316 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

aid of superstition, to veil the infinite 
loveliness of the great father of all in 
shades of eternal wrath, and to imagine 
a world of liquid fire and sulphureous 
flame, in order to convince men that it 
is an evil and bitter thing to sin against 
God ; and that in the ways of sin they 
can find nothing but misery. The more 
rationally the language of scripture is 
understood and explained, the more 
likely will it be to make useful impres- 
sions on those who think seriously. — 
What appeals to reason, as well as to 
the passions, will have the best moral 
effect. The account given by our 
Lord of the rich man and Lazarus 9 
from which the text is taken, appears 
to be a parable ; but though not to be 
construed literally, it shows that wicked 
men will be hereafter in a state of ex- 
treme misery, which will admit of no 
alleviation, and from which they will 
not be able to fly, 

On this awful subject I venture to 
make a few observations; 

J. I attempt to explain the ivord hell, as 
used in scripture. 

It is not uncommon for unscriptural 
ideas to be associated with the words 



OF THE WICKED. 



317 



of scripture: hence it is necessary to 
search the scriptures, and carefully ex- 
amine in what sense words, which are 
made the foundation of important doc- 
trines and conclusions, are used by the 
sacred writers. 

The popular notion is, that, in some 
part of the universe, God hath created 
a w r orld, which is the habitation of 
wicked and miserable beings only ; a 
mere region of darkness and horror and 
despair ; a world of fire and brimstone, 
and pains and tortures unutterable ; the 
mere abode of suffering and woe; and 
that such it will eternally remain. It 
is an important enquiry, Do the scrip- 
tures teach that God hath created such 
a world ? It is only by divine revelation 
that its existence can be known. If not 
made known in the scriptures, it must 
be regarded as a dream of superstition, 
or a poetic fiction. The future punish- 
ment of impenitent sinners depends not 
on the existence of such a world. There 
is room enough on this earth for them 
to exist hereafter, and receive the just 
recompence of their evil doings. 

There are four words in the originals 
of scripture which are translated hell. 
l.Sheol, in the Hebrew, which is also 
translated grave, and signifies a covered 

2d2 



318 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



place, the common receptacle of the 
dead; it might uniformly be rendered 
grave ; but cannot mean a world in some 
other part of the universe. It is applied 
to what is downwards from the surface 
of the earth. — 2. Hades, in the New 
Testament is of nearly the same meaning 
with Sheol in the Old Testament. It is 
sometimes translated grave. It is used 
to express the place of the dead in 
general; the invisible state ; a place 
out of sight: but it cannot be shown 
to apply to a world distinct and distant 
from the earth. — 3. Gehenna, which 
means, when taken literally, the valley 
of Hinnom ; a place near Jerusalem, 
where the Jews offered their children 
in sacrifice to Moloch, and which was 
converted into a receptacle for the filth 
of the city; here worms bred in the 
putrid substances, and fires were kept 
up to consume them : to this our Lord 
alludes, when he says, where their worm 
dieth not, and the Jire is not quenched. 
Used figuratively, it means a state of 
suffering and misery. — 4. The being 
cast into Tartarus is mentioned once in 
the New Testament ; but as the word 
is used by the Greek Poets, from whom 
it seems to be borrowed, it cannot be 
referred to such a world as the popular 



OF THE WICKED. 



319 



notion of hei! supposes; but rather to 
a region under ground.- — Josephus, in 
his discourse concerning Hades, speaks 
of it, not as a distinct world, but as a 
subterraneous region ; and it is likely 
his opinion was the same as the Jews in 
genera] entertained at that time. His 
description accords with the language 
of Jesus, in his account of the rich man 
and Lazarus. Thus it appears that 
the scriptures do . not reveal such a 
world, distinct from this earth, as the 
modern notion of hell supposes ; nor 
does its existence appear to be sup- 
ported by the opinions of either the an- 
cient Jews or the Heathen writers. 

To what part of the universe will 
you look for such a world as the modern 
bell, whose elements are fire and flame, 
the habitation of none but creatures to- 
tally abandoned of God; where infinite 
wrath perpetually abides ; where no- 
thing can be felt but inexpressible tor- 
ments ; nor heard, but incessant groans 
and curses to all eternity ? To what 
part of space can you turn your eyes, 
where wisdom and goodness are not 
displayed ? Where hath God given ex- 
istence, and not provided enjoyment? 
Where, in the whole creation, does not 
Jhis mercy smile? Where does not his 



320 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



bounty flow ? Is he not good to all ? 
are not his tender mercies over all his 
works ? The existence of such a world 
would be an anomaly in creation ; it 
would not only be different from, but 
contrary to every thing that visibly ap- 
pears; and could never be reconciled 
with the character and perfections of 
God. Can a being, who is purely good, 
operate to produce absolute misery? 
No : so far as we can discover, and 
judge by analogy, wherever he hath 
created a world, he hath erected a seat, 
and established a scene of enjoyment. 
He cannot have created one of liquid 
fire and devouring flame, to be the habi- 
tation of millions of his rational offspring 
to all eternity. 

It is most probable that the future 
hell of the wicked will be upon this 
earth. This will have been the theatre 
of their crimes ; and it is most agree- 
able to reason that it should be the 
scene of their punishment. Men are 
formed of, and connected with the 
earth ; hence it seems most fit that it 
should be the place of their future ex- 
istence. Here they will be raised from 
the dead and judged ; and it is most 
likely that here the judgment will be 
executed upon them. The scriptures 



OF THE WICKED. 



321 



make no mention of their being re- 
moved to another part of the uni- 
verse, to receive their punishment ; but 
leaves them on the earth under their 
sentence. If their punishment is to be 
a warning to others, it seems requisite 
that it should take place where they 
can be witnesses of it. 

The word hell, as applied to the fu- 
ture punishment of the wicked, seems 
intended to express a state, rather than 
a place. Much of the language used to 
describe their future condition, is figu- 
rative, and conveys the idea of extreme 
suffering and misery. It is calculated 
to excite the utmost alarm in the minds 
of those who are living in sin. Happi- 
ness and misery depends not on the 
place where creatures are, but on their 
state. Wherever the wicked are, they 
will be in hell in the midst of torments. 
All within (hem, all about them, every 
recollection, every apprehension, will 
torment them ; but their torment will 
arise from the moral state they are in ; 
consequently they will be the authors 
of their own misery. So long as their 
sinful state continues, it will be impos- 
sible for them to go where they will not 
find a hell, where torments will not pur. 
sue them. Bell will be in their own 



322 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

breasts, their tormentors in their own 
souls; unless they could fly from them- 
selves, they cannot fly from their misery : 
hence it is not difficult to conceive how 
they may exist on earth, and yet be in 
hell, in the midst of torments : it is easy 
to be perceived, that it is not necessary 
for God to create a world of misery, in 
order to their being punished. 

II. 7 shall attempt to explain the nature 
of hell torments. 

1. The torments of hell cannot flow 
from the fountain of goodness and mercy, 
the eternal source of life and blessedness. 
They must arise from the state of guilt 
and impurity into which men have 
brought themselveSa God, who doth 
not afflict willingly, nor grieve the chil- 
dren of men ; who hath no pleasure in 
the death of the sinner ; cannot torment 
his creatures, any otherwise than as he 
adjudges them to what their follies and 
crimes render most right and fit for them 
to end ure ; as he hath so arranged things, 
and connected causes and effects, that 
sin will unavoidably produce misery, 
and be followed by those painful and 
bitter effects which will tend to its de- 
struction. His oivn iniquities shall take 



OF THE WICKED. 



324 



the ivicked himself, and he shall he holden 
in the cords of his sins. 

2. Much of the language used in 
scripture, to describe the future condi- 
tion of wicked men, appears to be figu- 
rative ; but it impresses the mind with 
an apprehension of every thing that is 
alarming and dreadful. It seems ne- 
cessary that what relates to the future 
state, should be set forth by imagery 
adapted to the senses, so as to make a 
strong impression : there is, probably, 
no other way in which things so different 
from what now appears could be repre- 
sented, so as to have much effect. When 
we read of a lake of fire and brimstone, 
of the worm that dieth not, and the fire 
that is not quenched ; an acquaintance 
with the style of scripture, a regard to 
its general meaning, and the considera- 
tion of the subject to which such lan- 
guage is applied, will lead to the con- 
clusion that it is figurative, yet the state 
described by such terrific imagery must 
be truly horrible. 

3. The wicked will be removed from 
all their former sources and means of 
gratification. The unhappy man men- 
tioned in the text, had been rich, had 



323 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



been clothed in purple and fine linen, 
and had fared sumptuously every day. 
He possessed abundant means of sen- 
sual gratification, and sought no higher 
enjoyment; but he died, and the scene 
was totally changed. Sent naked into 
the future state, in hell he lifted up his 
eyes, being in torment. Removed from 
all the sources of sensual pleasure; to- 
tally deprived of the means of satis- 
fying his unlawful appetites, passions 
and desires ; they the more greedily- 
preyed upon him; an insatiable thirst 
for what was utterly unattainable raged 
like a fire within him. What will those 
do whose portion is in this life, w r ho 
have sought no higher enjoyment than 
this world can afford, when God shall 
take away their souls ? Not only will 
all sensual gratifications be cut off; but 
misimproved talents will betaken away. 
What sources of pleasure can the sinner 
find in himself, when all others are closed 
to him. 

4. The w icked, hereafter, will be in a 
state of separation from God and Christ, 
and all the blessed, In the presence of 
God there is fulness of joy; for this 
they have disqualified themselves, They 
are estranged from God, their sins sepa- 



OF THE WICKED. 



325 



rate between him and them ; without 
holiness no one can see him. The Sa- 
vior will pronounce the awful sentence, 
Depart from me. They cannot stand in 
the congregation of the righteous. To 
be separated from God, is to be removed 
from the source of all happiness. To 
depart from Christ, is to be cut off from 
his kingdom and glory. To be excluded 
from the society of the blessed, is to 
become aliens and outcasts from the 
family of God, and degraded and dis- 
honored in the view of the rational 
creation. They may see the righteous 
afar off, enjoying the honor and felicity, 
for which they have disqualified them- 
selves, and in which they cannot share ; 
as the rich man is said to see Abraham 
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. — - 
How painful to behold those, whom 
they probably despised, honored of God 
and exalted to glory, while themselves 
are rejected and covered with ignominy. 

5. Their worm will not die; but con- 
tinually prey upon them. Bitter recol- 
lections of the past, and the sting of 
conscience, perpetually wounding, will 
be the living worm, gnawing continually 
withirf tbenr. Son, remember that thou 
in tiitj life time reccivedst thy good things^ 
2e 



326 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

is the answer of Abraham to the 
wretched sufferer when he implored his 
aid. Could the records of memory 
be obliterated, the misery of the wicked 
might have some alleviation; but this 
cannot be. Memory will supply con- 
science with grounds of accusation, 
and sharpen its sting ; it will open 
afresh the wounds of the soul. The 
recollection of good things lost for ever 
by being abused, of the means of im- 
provement and happiness lost by neg- 
lect, of the accepted time and day of 
salvation suffered to pass away unre- 
garded ; connected with a sense of the 
favor of God, and the happiness of 
heaven, forfeited by folly and iniquity, 
will be a continual source of anguish. 
When the sinner lifts up his eyes iu 
hell, all his sins will appear in order 
before him, and conscience will receive 
from them the power of tormenting 
him. A man may sustain his infirmity ; 
but a wounded spirit who can bear? 
The guilt of a single sin will inflict a 
deep wound ; what then must be inflicted 
by the sins of a whole life? In that 
miserable state, guilt will not be exte- 
nuated by partial views, by false rea- 
sonings, by suppressed convictions, by 
diverted thoughts, by varied amuse- 



OF THE WICKED. 



327 



meats, by delusive hopes : it will be felt 
in all its enormity, in all its aggravating 
circumstances, in its most deadly sting. 
How dreadful will this worm be, which 
sinners have bred and nourished in 
their own bosoms ! Now, conscience i& 
apt to slumber, and is sometimes seared 
as with a hot iron; then, it will be al- 
ways awake, and fully execute its 
office. 

6, The fire is not quenched. Sinners 
now prepare the materials of this fire, 
which will hereafter envelope them in 
flames. Their evil passions, disposi- 
tions, and actious, will be as fire in their 
souls. These are the tormentors that 
will allow them no interval of rest; 
which will fill them with indignation 
and wrath, tribulation and anguish. 
By adding sin to sin, they heap up 
wrath against the day of wrath, and 
revelation of the righteous judgment 
of God. The fire of his enemies shall 
devour them ; and it cannotbe quenched, 
so long as the materials which feed it, 
remain. It is a fire in their own minds, 
which will keep them in perpetual 
agony. A sense of the righteous dis- 
pleasure of God, is his breath, which, 
like a sulphureous stream, will kindle 



328 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



it. Sin is the transgression of the law; 
the law worketh wrath, by making sin 
appear as it really is. The wrath of 
God is a sense of his displeasure resting 
upon the sinner, in whose mind will be 
the fiery indignation. A view of the 
infinite purity and holiness of God ; 
of the perfect righteousness of his laws 
and commands; will impress a deep 
sense of sin, and cause its natural ef- 
fects to be felt, which will be like fire 
to the sinner. Though nothing can 
proceed from God that is contrary to 
goodness, his wrath, as spoken of in 
scripture, has an awful meaning. How 
dreadful must be the displeasure of the 
Almighty! who can stand before his 
indignation ? It is a fearful thing to fail 
into the hands of the living God; that 
is, of his righteous judgments against 
sin. 

7. It appears that, in the miserable 
state we are contemplating, there will 
be painful apprehensions respecting 
others. Our Lord represents the man 
in torments, as concerned about his 
brethren. This shows that there will 
not be an oblivion of social feelings. If 
you draw others into sin, and render 
them vicious by your influence and ex- 



OF THE WICKED. 



329 



ample, or act injuriously towards them; 
think what pain it may cost you here- 
after! but then, alas! how unavailing 
will be your anxiety about them ! Do 
all you can for their good now ; be 
companions in virtue and goodness, 
that you may reign together in life and 
glory. 

If such will be the torments of hell ; 
well may the bold imagery used in 
scripture be employed in describing 
them : well mav it be said, There shall 
be indignation and wrath, weeping and 
wailing, and gnashing of teeth ; there 
their ivorm dieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched. 

III. I add a few remarks on the dura- 
tion of hell torments. 

The popular opinion is, that they will 
be endless : and a few detached expres- 
sions of scripture, taken according to 
the mere sound of the words, may 
seem to favor this opinion. Our Lord 
mentions that a great and impassable 
gulf is fixed between the righteous and 
the wicked, in a future state; from 
which it has been concluded that no 
change can ever take place in the miser- 
able condition of those who go to that 

2e2 



330 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



place of torment ; but it is not said that 
this gulf will eternally remain, All that 
the words necessarily imply, is, that the 
wicked cannot escape from their punish- 
ment; that none can pass to them to 
alleviate their sufferings, so long as they 
remain in that state; that they must 
endure the punishment awarded to them-. 
No created power can fill up the gulf ; 
none can annul or alter the righteous 
judgment of God ; it must be fully exe- 
cuted. A line of separation, according 
to real character and conduct, must re- 
main so long as the cause of it continues. 
It ought not to be hence inferred that it 
will be an endless separation ; only, that 
it will continue till all the ends of punish- 
ment be answered. The eternity of hell 
torments cannot be reconciled with the 
acknowledged character and perfections 
of God ; nor with what the scriptures 
reveal of his gracious and merciful de- 
signs towards all men. 

The words everlasting, and for-ever, 
connected with the future punishment 
of sinners, by no means prove the end- 
less duration of their sufferings. Those 
words, it is w 7 ell known, are often used 
in scripture to express a limited dura- 
tion ; and may be so understood as ap- 
plied to punishment ; as there is nothing 



OF THE WICKED. 



331 



in its nature that requires they should 
be construed in an unlimited sense. — 
They properly mean an undefined pe- 
riod ; and the duration of hell torments 
is not revealed ; how long they will 
continue no mortal knows. Blackness 
of darkness is over the end of the un- 
godly; their awful punishment extends 
into an unexplored futurity. The ob- 
scurity in which the subject is left, 
makes it the more alarming. 

The expressions, There their icorm 
dieth not, and there the fire is not 
quenched, authorize not the conclusion 
that the wicked will eternally remain 
in hell; only that, so long as they re- 
main there, their sufferings will have no 
intermission. 

As all impenitents are not equally 
guilty, nor have all committed the same 
crimes, and every one is to receive ac- 
cording to his works ; it follows that 
they will be punished in different degrees: 
which can hardly be reconciled with 
the notion that their torments will be 
endless. Hell torments are sufficiently 
dreadful to answer all the ends of 
punishment, without supposing that they 
will be endless. The wicked have no- 
thing to hope, but every thing dreadful 
to fear, so long as they continue in sin. 



332 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



Lastly, Who are the persons that will 
be condemned to the torments oj hell? 

Christians have been too much in the 
habit of judging one another, and of 
condemning their fellow creatures to 
that awful state of suffering ; but it be- 
longs not to frail mortals to judge and 
condemn one another. It is enough for 
us to point out what the scriptures 
plainly declare, and to leave the appli- 
cation to every man's conscience. 

None will be condemned to future 
torments in an arbitrary way. God 
does not tit men for destruction, and then 
deliver them over to the tormentors. — 
He decrees the misery of none, but those 
who render themselves unfit for any 
thin^ else. Those onlv will be sub- 
jected to future misery, who have made 
themselves vessels of wrath, notwith- 
standing the much long-suffering of God 
towards them. 

Many have been in the habit of con- 
demning their fellow creatures to hell 
for supposed errors in faith ; but none 
will be sent to that place of torment, 
but workers of iniquity. Men will be 
judged by their works, and rewarded 
or punished according to their works. 
All the workers of iniquity, whatever 



OF THE WICKED. 



333 



be their rank or condition in life, what- 
ever their profession or belief, whatever 
their outward forms of religion or 
boasted experience, unless they repent, 
and bring forth fruits meet for repent- 
ance, must have their part in that 
dreadful state which is represented as 
a lake which burnetii with fire and brim- 
stone. There will be indignation and 
ivrath, tribulation and anguish, on all 
who obey not the truth, but obey un- 
righteousness; upon every soul of man that 
doeth evil. 

Respecting the unhappy man Men- 
tioned in the text, we know onlv that 
in this life he received his good thiogs, 
and appears to have sought no better 
portion ; it may be inferred that he was 
one who forgot God, and neglected the 
duties he owed to his fellow-creatures ; 
and he is said to lift up his eyes in hell # 
being in torments* 

It is not calling Abraham father, that 
is, having the privileges of the gospel, 
that will secure us from this awful pu- 
nishment, if we do not the works of 
Abraham ; if we obey not the gospel, 
Jesus shows, (Matt. 25th Chap.) that 
those who profess his name, and do not 
imitate his benevolent example, will 
be condemned in the last day. This 



334 HELL, OR THE FUTURE STATE. 



should teach us the necessity of not 
resting in a merely nominal Christianity; 
and stimulate us to abound in every 
good word and work. 

How awful the case of the person 
mentioned in the text! cutoff in the 
midst of all his possessions, friends and 
enjoyments; removed from his riches, 
his purple, and fine linen, his sumptu- 
ous fare, and every thing in this world ; 
not merely to the gloomy mansion of 
the tomb ; Jesus gives us a further view 
of him ; he tells us, In hell he lifted up 
his eyes, being in torments, and seeth La- 
zavus, the poor diseased beggar, who 
had lain neglected at his gate, ajar off 
in Abraham's bosom, in a state of rest 
and happiness. That we may not share 
in the miserable lot of this wretched 
man, let us fear God and work righte- 
ousness ; use this world as not abusing 
it ; by doing good to our fellow crea- 
tures, lay up treasure in heaven: so 
when we fail on earth shall we be re- 
ceived into everlasting habitations of 
glory. 



DISCOURSE XVI. 



HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE OF THE 
RIGHTEOUS. 

2 COR. v, 1. 

For we know that if our earthly house 
of this tabernacle were dissolved, we 
have a buildhig of God, a house not 
made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens. 

This language is figurative ; but it fitly 
expresses the present frail state of man, 
and the glorious hope which animates 
the christian. Man is the child of the 
dust, the creature of a -day, encompas- 
sed with infirmity, and* every moment 
liable to dissolution. The first man was 
of the earth y earthy: and his descend- 
ants are made like him. As is the 
earthy, such are they also that are earthy. 



336 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

The things which are seen are temporal. 
The human frame is like a frail tent, 
which will soon be taken down. The 
scene of things in which we are placed, is 
represented as an earthly house, or build- 
ing ; a tabernacle in which our conti- 
nuance will be but for a short time. 
The fashion of this world passeth away; 
but we look forward to a better state of 
existence, a brighter and more durable 
scene of things. The things which are 
not seen are eternal. We have an house 
not made with hands, a building of God, 
eternal in the heavens. The second man 
will he the Lord from heaven ; and as is 
the heavenly, such are they also that are 
heavenly. 

The present life is a state of trial, in 
which even the righteous do groan, being 
burdened, with weaknesses, infirmities, 
pains, and sufferings,; which are insepa- 
rable from this state of mortality. Not, 
saith the Apostle, that we would be un- 
clothed, but clothed upon, that mortality 
might be swallowed up of life. We are 
not so much desirous of being out of 
the earthly house, as we are of entering 
the heavenly one. It is not a dislike of 
life that we feel, which, even in the 
present state is a great blessing; we 
would not cease to be ; but we ardently 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



337 



desire a better existence, freedom from 
mortality, and an introduction to the 
immortal state ; to be removed from the 
present uncertain, changing scene of 
things, to the future durable and hea- 
venly scene which God hath prepared 
for us. 

The prospect which the gospel opens 
to the christian, is most animating and 
glorious. It supports him under all 
the trials and sufferings of the present 
life: it is as an anchor to his soul, both 
sure and steadfast, amidst all the storms 
and tempests which assail him, and 
through which he must pass before be 
can reach the heavenly shores, and 
enter the haven of eternal rest : it fur- 
nishes the most powerful motives to pu- 
rity and holiness, and excites him to the 
most steady perseverance in following 
the great captain of salvation, that he 
may be made partaker of his glory. 

The word heaven, as it occurs in the 
sacred writings, is used both in a literal 
and in a figurative sense; it is applied 
both to place and state, to things in this 
world, and in the world to come. It 
will be considered in this Discourse 
chiefly, as it is applicable to the future 
state and enjoyment of the righteous.— 
Of thissubjectour views must necessarily 

2f 



338 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STAT I! 

be very imperfect : for we see through a 
glass darkly. It doth not yet appear 
what ive shall be. Eye hath not seen, 
n or ear heard, neither have entered into 
the heart of man the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love him. — 
All we can know of these things, must 
be derived from what God hath revealed 
concerning them by his spirit, as record- 
ed in the scriptures. The sacred wri- 
ters have expressed themselves on this 
sublime and glorious subject, either in 
general terms, or in highly figurative 
language. A state so entirely different 
from what now appears, could not well 
be described to mortals, without the 
use of bold imagery ; it is not likely 
that they should conceive of it purely 
as it is ; but only as comprehending 
w hat is truly sublime, happy and glori- 
ous. On this grand and interesting sub- 
ject I shall venture to make a few ob- 
servations. 

I. It will he proper to consider lioxv the 
vjord heaven is used in the sacred 
'writings. 

It is applied to every part of the uni- 
verse above us, to the whole space from 
the surface of the earth upwards. The 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



339 



atmosphere which surrounds the earth 
is called heaven : this appears to be the 
heaven of the Mosaic creation : hence 
we read of the fowls of heaven, of the 
rain and dew of heaven ; and the light- 
ning is called fire from heaven. The re- 
gion in which the sun, moon and stars 
are placed, the whole extent of space in 
which those luminaries appear, is called 
heaven : and sometimes the starry hea- 
vens. Paul speaks of the third heaven, 
which he also calls paradise; but if he 
intended by the phrase, third heaven, a 
place, we know not where that place 
is, nor has he given us any hint respect- 
ing its situation ; he has only said that 
he heard things unutterable : it is likely 
that it is a vision he mentions ; for he is 
professedly treating of visions and reve- 
lations. If it be asked where the hea- 
ven is, to which Jesus is ascended ; the 
only answer we can give is, that we 
know not. Angels of heaven are mes- 
sengers of God, and the expression gives 
no information respecting the place of 
their residence. The words, heaven of 
heavens, are either used to express the 
whole universe as distinguished from 
the little spot which men inhabit; or to 
show that all things, however widely 
extended, however grand and glorious,, 



340 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

belong to God, and are filled by him; 
but cannot fully contain the immensity 
of his fulness and perfections. Without 
either affirming or denying any thing 
concerning a local heaven, beyond the 
starry regions, we may be permitted 
to confess our ignorance, to confess we 
know of nothing beyond them. 

The word heaven is often used figura- 
tively in scripture ; to express, not a 
place but a state. It is sometimes 
applied to worldly governments and 
governors ; because raised above the 
people; so in Isa. xiii, 10. the destruc- 
tion of the Babylonish monarchy is 
represented as the darkening of the sun, 
and all the constellations of heaven ; 
because it would sink in obscurity all 
the luminaries of that empire. The Jew- 
ish state, in particular its ecclesiastical 
polity, is called heaven; and the shaking 
of it, the shaking of heaven. (See 
Hag. ii, 6. compared with Heb. xii, 
20\ 27.) The gospel dispensation is 
called the kingdom of heaven : when 
John the baptist, and our Lord, pro- 
claimed, The kingdom of heaven is at 
hand ; and w hen Jesus said, The king- 
dom of heaven is within you, or among 
you; and again, when he spoke of all 
men pressing into it. It is evident that 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 34 L 

in these instances the word heaven is 
applied to a particular state of things 
upon earth. When it is said, Dan. iv, 26. 
The heavens do rule, the word heavens 
is evidently used figuratively; and the 
meaning is that God doth rule. When 
God is said to be in heaven, and called 
our Father in heaven ; the meaning 
cannot be that he is limited to any local 
habitation ; but that he is in all the 
heights of infinite excellence and per- 
fection ; that he dwells in all that is 
high and holy : or that he is ? in the gos- 
pel dispensation, manifesting himself, 
and communicating the riches of his 
grace; which dispensation is called 
heaven, The expression, Father in hea- 
ven, may mean the same as heavenly 
Father. When heaven is said to be 
God's throne, the expression is figura- 
tive, and intended to set forth the divine 
greatness and majesty. What is of di- 
vine authority, is said to be from heaven ; 
and Jesus, because he was sent of God, 
and received his doctrine and power 
from him, was said to come down from 
heaven. So the baptism of John was said 
to be from heaven. When Jesus is said, 
to have ascended far above all heavens, 
the words cannot relate to a local ascent ; 
but to the height of power and authority 

2*2 



342 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

to which God hath exalted him. When 
he declared^ all power is given unto me 
in heaven and in earth, the connection 
shows he referred to his authority as 
the head of the gospel dispensation, 
which w ? as to be extended to the whole 
world. Christians, in this life, are said 
to sit together in heavenly places in 
Christ Jesus. £ph. ii. 6. 

From the preceding remarks it is evi- 
dent that heaven mav mean a state, and 
those who are in that heavenly state 
may be said to be in heaven, and to 
enjoy heaven, though their residence 
should be on this earth. If -christians 
are said to sit in heavenly places in this 
life, on account of the state into which 
they are brought by the gospel ; much 
more may they be said to be in heaven 
hereafter, when thev shall be in a far su- 
perior state, though they should not be 
removed to any other part of the uni- 
verse. They will have heaven within 
them, and every thing will promote 
their happiness. 

God created the earth and gave it to 
man ; and it seems most fit that it 
should be the possession of the righteous, 
They are formed of the earth, and be- 
long to it as their proper habitation. 
It has been the scene of their trials and 
virtues, and why should it not be the 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



343 



scene of their future reward ? Here 
they will be raised from the dead and 
judged ; nor does the scripture speak 
of their being removed to another region. 
If the reward they will receive be for 
the good of the moral system, and de- 
signed to encourage others in virtue 
and goodness; is it not necessary that 
they should enjoy it where their fellow- 
creatures can witness their happiness? 
However figurative the language of 
scripture, all the future glorious scenes 
it describes are laid upon the earth. If 
they receive their reward in the future 
kingdom of Christ, and that kingdom 
be upon the earth ; the earth must be 
their future residence. 

II. I proceed to the consideration of the 
happiness of heaven, or the future state 
and enjoyment of the righteous. 

It is of little importance where they 
will be, in comparison with what they 
will be, and what they will enjoy. 
Every thing that is good and happy 
awaits those who fear God and work 
righteousness. He is not unfaithful to 
forget their work of faith, and labor of 
love, and patience of hope. Whatso- 
ever good thing any man doeth, the 
same shall he receive of the Lord. 



344 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

1. The righteous will be raised in a 
heavenly state, in the image of the Lord 
from heaven. They will be like him ; 
he will change their vile bodies, and 
make them like unto his own glorious 
body. It is sown in corruption ; it is 
raised in incorruption : it is sown in dis- 
honor ; it is raised in glory : it is soivn 
in iveakness ; it is raised in power : it is 
sown a natural body ; it is raised a spi- 
ritual body. — For this corruptible must 
put on incorruption, and this mortal must 
put on immortality. So when this cor- 
ruptible shall have put on incorruption, 
and this mortal shall have put on immor- 
tality, then shall be brought to pass the 
saying that is written, death is swallowed 
up in victory. Raised in this glorious 
state, they will be no more liable to 
sickness and disease ; no more subject 
to weakness and infirmity ; they will 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; 
there will be no more sorrow, nor cry- 
ing, nor pain, nor death. Clothed upon 
with the house which is from heaven, 
they will possess immortal life and 
vigor. 

2. The earth will then be in a state 
suited to such blessed inhabitants. 
However figurative the language of 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



345 



scripture respecting the new heavens 
and earth : it must intend such a change 
in the state of things upon earth as will 
totally remove all error, superstition, and 
vice; put an end to all tyranny, op- 
pression and slavery ; and render it the 
dwelling place of righteousness. In 
that happy state of things, they will be 
exposed to no outward annoyance, no 
interruption of their enjoyment, no infeli- 
city. The wicked will be as dust un- 
der their feet. Nothing will hurt or 
destroy ; for the earth will be filled 
with the knowledge of Jehovah, as the 
waters cover the sea. 

3. The society will be heavenly. 
The pious, virtuous, and good, who 
have lived in every age and country, 
will be gathered together in one happy 
community. They shall come from the 
east, and from the tvest, and from the 
north, and from the south, and shall sit 
down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob 
in the kingdom of God. It will be the 
general assembly and church of the 
first-born; with Jesus at their head. 
This will be the re-union of virtuous 
friends long separated, and an introduc- 
tion to the excellent of the earth who 
have flourished from the earliest times, 



346 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

The Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the 
archangel, and with the trump of God: 
and the dead in Christ shall rise first ; 
then ive which are alive and remain shall 
be caught up together with them to meet 
the Lord in the air ; and so shall we 
ever be with the Lord. How delightful 
the thought, of being with Jesus as his 
friends and companions ; of being as- 
sociated with all the servants of God, 
and benefactors of mankind, that have 
ever lived ; and of always remaining in 
such heavenly society! God hath given 
us social powers and feelings ; no man 
could be happy alone in the world. 
We are placed in society in this life ; 
but alas ! how often are we disappointed 
by those from whom we expect plea- 
sure, in whom we repose confidence ! 
How often is the heart wounded by the 
loss of dear friends ! How many painful 
separations are there in the present state ! 
The thought of the renewal of virtuous 
friendships beyond the grave, when dis- 
appointments and painful separations 
shall be no more, is truly cheering ; and 
should console us under the pains we 
feel when bereaved of those we love. 



4. The presence of God, the enjoy- 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 347 



merit of his favor, and the beholding of 
his glory, will constitute a heaven, for 
in his presence is fulness of joy, his fa- 
vor is better than life, and his glory is 
the supreme excellence and beauty. — 
This heaven the righteous will enjoy. 
The pure in heart shall see God ; they 
will be favored with the clearest views 
of him, and manifestations of his glory; 
a sense of his approbation will fill them 
with everlasting joy. Now, their views 
are clouded, and their enjoyment is in- 
terrupted by darkness and doubts; 
then, they will see clearly, the darkness 
will be dispelled and every doubt re- 
moved. They will see face to face and 
know even as they are known. What 
an unspeakable happiness it must be, to 
have a full and uninterrupted sense of 
the divine presence ; to see God com- 
pletely and constantly in every thing; 
to have such a sense of his approbation, 
as will entirely prelude the rising of 
doubt, or the least misgiving of mind, 
and fill the soul with such entire confi- 
dence as nothing can shake; to possess 
continually a large portion of the favor 
of God, unalloyed by weakness or im- 
perfection ; and to kave the vision of 
his glory in a way unknown to mortals. 
Such happiness will the righteous here- 



348 HEAVEN', OR THE FUTURE STATE 

after enjoy ; and this will be heaven to 
them. 

5. They will receive all the good they 
have done. Thev will receive it in the 
pleasures of memory and the approba- 
tion of conscience. They will receive the 
things themselves, which will return into 
their own bosoms, as sources of virtuous 
enjoyment. They will possess the trea- 
sure they have laid up in heaven. They 
have sown to the spirit, of the spirit 
they will receive life everlasting. There 
will be glory, honor and peace to every 
soul of man that worketh good. The 
effect of righteousness will be quietness 
and assurance for ever. Thus the 
righteous will have a heaven in them- 
selves, arising from their moral state, 
their own virtues jancl excellencies ; 
which will qualify them to enjoy God, 
that is, the happiness which flows from 
him, which will eternally fill them. 

6. The righteous will be exalted and 
glorified with Christ. He will appoint 
unto them a kingdom, as he hath re- 
ceived of the Father. He hath made 
them kings and priests unto God, and 
thev shall reign on the earth. He hath 
declared, To him that over comet h will I 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



349 



grant to sit with me in my throne.— He 
that overcometh shall inherit all things. 
According to ancient prophecy, The 
kingdom and dominion,, and the greatness 
of the kingdom under the whole heaven, 
shall be given to the people of the saints 
of the Most High. — Then the meek shall 
inhei*it the earth, God will render to 
every man according to his works. — 
Every one will be placed in a rank, and 
be raised to honor and dignity, power 
and glory, according to the degree of 
moral excellence he hath attained, and 
the good deeds he hath done in the 
body. None will be great, but the 
good ; and all will be great, in propor- 
tion as they are good. God hath raised 
Jesus to the highest dignity because he 
is the most worthy of it; and he will 
distinguish others in the same degree in 
which they resemble him. They shall 
enter into the joy of their Lord, and be 
joint inheritors with him, They that be 
wise shall shine as the brightness of the 
firmament ; and they that turn many to 
righteousness , as the stars for ever and 
ever. Thus are things described by the 
sacred writers ; and however figurative 
the language, what it expresses must be 
full of glory. 



2g 



350 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 

7. Their happiness will be augmented 
by the most delightful employment. 
If we cannot describe what will be the 
employment of good men hereafter; it 
would be absurd to suppose they will 
be inactive. Man is endowed with ac- 
tive powers ; he will have them in su- 
perior strength and vigor when made 
immortal. God can give no powers 
but what he intends should be em- 
ployed ; and he intends they should be 
exercised for general good. It cannot 
well be doubted that, as he will give 
his servants immortal powers, he will 
open to them a sphere of action suited 
to their capacities and attainments ; 
and that it will be a sphere of useful- 
ness. Activity promotes both enjoy- 
ment and improvement. It is hard to 
conceive how those can be very happy, 
who have little or nothing to do. Hea- 
ven will not, surely, consist in seeing 
fine sights, hearing delightful music, 
and in feeling extatic joy ; but in the 
active service of God; in promoting 
the good of the rational creation. To 
be able to gratify the most benevolent 
wishes of their hearts, in promoting the 
happiness of others, must afford good 
men the purest pleasure. To be in- 
strumental, in connection with their be- 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



351 



loved master, in effecting the recovery 
of all men to purity and happiness, 
must give them joy unspeakable. For 
a most glorious work is God training 
up his servants here, which will be to 
them a source of the sublimest pleasure 
hereafter, • 

8. A state of progressive improve- 
ment is a state of increasing enjoyment; 
and such will a future life be. Finite 
creatures must always be capable of 
further enlargement in knowledge, ad- 
vances in moral excellence, and conse- 
quently increase of happiness. Wise 
men can never cease to desire to know 
more, while more remains to be known ; 
nor good men, to become better, as 
they will never be infinitely good. Fi- 
nite capacities must always be capable 
of greater expansion. In infinite sub- 
jects ; such as God, his divine excellen- 
cies and perfections, as discovered by 
all his works, and in all his ways, there 
will always be something new to finite 
minds, something further for them to 
learn. A state of perpetual improve- 
ment, will produce enjoyment perpetu- 
ally new. How glorious the prospect 
of eternally rising higher and higher in 
intelligence and moral excellence, of 



352 HEAVEN, OH THE FUTURE STATE 

becoming more and more like our im- 
mortal Father, and of always continu- 
ing to receive an increased portion of 
blessedness from him ! 

9. As the future life will be greatly 
superior to the present, so the happiness 
of it will be equally superior to any 
enjoyment in this world. Here our 
animal feelings and passions connect 
themselves with every thing ; hereafter 
we shall be more completely intellectual 
and moral beings. Now, every plea- 
sure has some alloy, various things 
within us and about us pollute our joys ; 
our pleasures then, arising from purer 
sources ; and inward weakness and im- 
perfections, as well as outward inter- 
ruptions, being removed ; will be more 
pure and substantial. Happiness, in 
the world to come, will not depend on 
creatures, as it now does. The super- 
structure of our future life and enjoy- 
ment is a building of God ; it is founded 
upon his power and goodness ; erected 
by his mighty hand ; and guarded by 
his faithfulness and truth. 

10, The perfect security in which the 
righteous will live hereafter, will render 
their happiness the niore^ complete* 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 353 



Neither exposed to enemies nor dangers 
from without, nor disturbed by fears 
and painful apprehensions within, they 
will enjoy perfect peace. Look upon 
Zion the city of our solemnities; thine 
eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habita- 
tion, a tabernacle that shall not be taken 
down; not one of the slakes thereof shall 
ever be removed, neither shall any of the 
cords be broken. 

Lastly, What will render future happi- 
ness perfect, will be its perpetuity. The 
house not made with hands is eternal. 
An endless state of existence, improve- 
ment, and happiness, awaits the right- 
eous beyond the grave. They will for 
ever enjoy the most pleasing society, 
and occupy a sphere of the most de- 
lightful activity, After all it is a mere 
glimpse we can give of the glories of 
the life to come ; still it is enough to 
fill us with joyful expectation, and to 
make us diligent in every good work. — - 
Our light affliction, tvhich is but for a 
moment, worketh for us a far more exceed- 
ing and eternal iveight of glory. 

It may be asked, when will this glori- 
ous state commence? and who are the 
persons that shall share in the happiness 



354 HEAVEN, OR THE FUTURE STATE 



of it? It will commence at the second 
coming of Christ, when the resurrection 
of the just will take place, Paul teaches 
that every man will be raised in his own 
order : Christ the first fruits, afterwards 
they that are Christ's at his coming, 
1 Cor. xv. 23. He asserts that, Them 
which sleep in Jesas ivill God bring with 
him. 1 Thess. iv. 14. He mentions none 
else that are to be brought with him at 
that time. Hence christians are said to 
be waiting for the son of God from hea- 
ven : Looking for that blessed hope, and 
the glorious appeal ing of the great God, 
and our Savior Jesus Christ. — When 
Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall 
ye also appear with him in glory. 

All the righteous will share in the 
happiness of the heavenly state. The 
workers of iniquity only will be ex- 
cluded from it. Those will be admitted 
to it who are made meet for it in the 
present life. All will be received to 
glory who are prepared for glory ; but 
there is a moral fitness without which 
none will be capable of such high felici- 
ty. Blessed are they that do his com- 
mandments, that they may have a right 
to the tree of life, and may enter in 
through the gates into the city. They 



OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 



355 



shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
more, neither shall the sun light on them, 
nor any heat ; for the Lamb which is in 
the midst >of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto living fountains 
of waters: and God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes. 



FINIS. 



F. B, WRIGHT, PRINTER.] 



Lately Published by the same Author, Price 
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mniiavian ttftttetian Sotttitu, 

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4 



Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-2111 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




